Avoid Cannibalism: Use a Comma

(For Jennifer)

Recently I joined a very popular Facebook group created to save society from cannibalism: "'Let's eat Grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, Grandma!' Punctuation saves lives." With its 667,470 fans, this Facebook group demonstrates the importance of the comma to not only save your readers from confusion and yourself from embarassment, but the comma saves society from cannibalism.

When using introductory words or phrases, you want to use a comma to separate them from the rest of the sentence:

• When we are cooking children cannot come in the kitchen.


• When we are cooking, children cannot come in the kitchen.

The first sentence might lead your reader to suspect you of cooking children; however, using a comma after your introductory phrase avoids confusion and clarifies your meaning.

Also, we must use a comma when addressing someone by name: this is referred to as the direct address comma. When addressing someone directly, you need a comma before the name if it's at the end of the sentence:

• Let's eat Grandma!


• Let's eat, Grandma!

The sentence without the comma tells the reader you want to eat Grandma, instead of telling Grandma that it's time to eat. Again, without the comma, the sentence may lead the reader to accuse you of cannibalism!

The direct address comma is necessary when the name is at the beginning of the sentence as well. Place the comma after the name to clarify your meaning. For example:

• George Harrison has been sort of my hero.


• George, Harrison has been sort of my hero.

If addressing George and telling him that Harrison is my hero, I must use the comma after George's name; otherwise, I am saying that George Harrison is my hero.

Also be sure to use two commas to off-set the name if it's in the middle of the sentence:

• Let's eat Grandma and not wait for the rest of the family.


• Let's eat, Grandma, and not wait for the rest of the family.

Without placing commas around "Grandma," the meaning of sentence changes drastically.

Yes, commas are overused and misused in the English language: as Oscar Wilde said, "I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out." However, we must remember that correctly utilizing the comma saves lives and keeps us from "cooking children" and "eating Grandma."

You Complete Me: the Subject and the Predicate

Many of you may remember the classic scene in the 1996 blockbuster Jerry Maguire where Jerry wins back Dorothy by professing his love for her and saying, "You complete me." I'd like us to think about complete sentences in terms of that quotable line. Complete sentences may not seem nearly as romantic or compelling; however, in every complete sentence there is a relationship between the subject and the predicate, very much like Jerry and Dorothy's relationship.

Complete sentences are made of two parts: the subject and the predicate.

The subject is the noun (person, place or thing) or pronoun that the sentence says something about. The subject is the person or thing that acts or is described in the sentence.

• Jerry promised to show his client the money.

The sentence is about Jerry, so Jerry is the subject. Jerry is the one acting in the sentence.

The predicate is the verb - the action or description. The predicate in a sentence is what the noun does or what that noun is. It tells us something about the subject.

• Jerry promised his client the money.

What did Jerry do? In this sentence, "promised" is the predicate: it is what Jerry did.

When defining these parts of a sentence, ask yourself, "Who does what?" The "who" is usually your subject and the "what" is your predicate. Try it on these examples:

• Annabelle and her colleagues attended the training. (Annabelle and her colleagues = the subject; attended = the predicate)


• The HR department administers policies and handles payroll. (HR department = the subjec; administers and handles = the predicate)

Remember complete sentences need both a subject and a predicate. Imagine the subject as Jerry Maguire, saying to the predicate, "I love you. You...you complete me."

Want to test your knowledge? Here's a great game about subjects and predicates: http://www.quia.com/rr/36764.html

The Controversial Oxford Comma

Use of the Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma or the Harvard comma) is often debated in the grammar world. To use it or not: that is the question. Most non-journalistic writing in the United States follows the Chicago Manual of Style for writing and uses this little comma; however, most journalistic writing follows the Associated Press Style Guide, which suggests against using it. To help you decide whether or not the Oxford comma is necessary, let's take a quick look at both sides of this controversy.

But first, I want to make sure we all know what we're talking about when discussing the Oxford comma. This is the comma used before the last item in series or list of 3 or more items. It is used to separate and remove ambiguity from the author's meaning. For example, this sentence uses the Oxford comma:

• My duties include answering phone calls, responding to emails, filing, and supervising employees.

The final comma before "and" separates the last two duties - filing and supervising. Without that comma, the reader might think that my responsibilities include "filing and supervising employees," leaving the reader to ponder how someone files employees.

On the other hand, there are those who argue that the use of (or the lack of) the serial comma is of little to no consequence because the items in the series are words equal in weight and value, and they are separated by "and" or "or."

The basic reasoning for or against using the Oxford comma breaks down as such:

Reasons for using it:

• it clarifies ambiguity
• it matches spoken cadence

Reasons against using it:

• it is redundant

To use or not to use: that is the question. In arriving at your decision a practical tip is to not assume that your audience will automatically think what you're thinking and to err on the side of caution, utilizing the serial comma to clarify your meaning. However, it is also important to take your organization into account. In your office you may notice a prevailing trend to use (or not to use) this controversial comma in your fellows' writings. If you notice a trend in your office, then go with that!

Confusing Than and Then

National Grammar Day was last week (March 4, 2010) and I read several posts on various grammar websites about the top grammar mistakes. Over the past several months we have covered most of the topics that made these top 10 lists commemorating National Grammar Day. However, one common grammar mistake that made several of these lists that we haven’t discussed is the confusion between than and then. Similarity in pronunciation and spelling often causes confusion when trying to distinguish between then and than. Let’s take a minute to clear up any confusion.

Than = Compare/Contrast

The word than is used when comparing (or contrasting) two things. It indicates a comparison or difference. For example:

• At a young age, he showed a higher intelligence than most children.
• My mother’s apple pie is better than mine.
• Emily dressed differently than her sisters.

We use than in connection with the word “rather:” such as,

• I would rather work from home than in the office.

Than is also used in connection with “other.” For instance:

• Hudson wanted to live anywhere other than where he grew up.

Then = When/Time

While than has to do with comparisons, the most common use for then has to do with a sequence of events in time. It’s used to mean “at that time:”

• His mother told him that once he cleaned his room she’d take him to lunch then.

Then can also mean “immediately following:”

• First I will check my email; then I will return phone calls.

Other than referring to time, then also stands in for “in that case” or “as a consequence of.” For example:

• If you want the memo written well, then write it yourself.
• If you work hard, then you will receive a raise.

The tricks to keeping these two confusing words straight are 1) remember that than signifies a comparison, and 2) when you think about then remember the word "when" (because it deals with time).

However Joined

In our November 3rd Tips & Tricks post, we discussed “Run-on Sentences.” One of the ways discussed to properly join two sentences was “Inserting a comma and then a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so).” One of the grammatical mistakes I’ve seen lately has been the use of however as a conjunction.

To join two sentences together you need to use a conjunction (and, but, or, yet, for, nor or so); however, it is a common error to use the word however. However is not a conjunction: it is an adverb. Here are several quick tips to help you tidy up your use of however.

One way is to use a conjunction instead of however:

• Incorrect: The weather outside is frightful, however the fire is so delightful.
• Correct: The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful.

The conjunctions but and yet work well in places you would likely use however to join two sentences.

If you are set on using the word however in the middle of the sentence, another tip is to use a semi-colon and a comma. The semi-colon does the work of a conjunction, joining two independent clauses. Place a semi-colon before however and a comma after it:

• Correct: The weather outside is frightful; however, the fire is so delightful.

The third tip is to put however at the beginning of the sentence (don’t forget to put that comma after it):

• Correct: The weather outside is frightful. However, the fire is so delightful.

Don’t fall victim to misusing however. However is an adverb and by itself cannot be used as a conjunction. The quick fixes are to either replace however with a conjunction (but or yet work best); use a semi-colon before however and a comma after; or place however at the beginning of a sentence.

The Adjective and the Countable/Uncountable Noun

This weekend, my niece and I played Mad Libs and she asked me to name an adjective. I paused to recall the difference between adjectives and adverbs, so as not to make a fool of myself in front of a 9 year old. I quickly remembered that adjectives are words that describe or modify a person, place or thing in the sentence. Most of us have a handle on this basic rule; however, there are a few tricky adjectives that I’d like us to look at.

First, we need to understand the difference between a countable noun and an uncountable noun. Countable nouns are ones that take on a plural form such as “dog - dogs,” “friend - friends,” “cookie - cookies,” “person - people.” Uncountable nouns usually don’t change in their plural form: “water,” “food,” “deer,” “money,” “air.” We don’t say, “I sold the deers for many moneys” because these nouns don’t change in their plural forms.

For the majority of adjectives, it doesn’t matter whether the noun is countable or uncountable. We say “the dirty dogs” and “the dirty water.” But I mention these two types of nouns, because using a countable or an uncountable noun matters with a few tricky adjectives.

Much or Many
We only use much to describe uncountable nouns:

• A pregnant lady drinks so much water.
• We don’t have much money saved.

We use many to describe only countable nouns:

• Many dogs don’t wear collars.
• The little girl ate many cookies.

A lot of or Lots of
Think of these two adjectives as casual substitutes for what we just went over with much and many. Use them with uncountable nouns when we are using them to mean much and with countable nouns when they mean many. Let’s look at some examples:

• A pregnant lady drinks lots of (much) water.
• We don’t have a lot of (much) money saved.
• Lots of (many) dogs don’t wear collars.
• The little girl ate a lot of (many) cookies.

Little or Few
Just like with much, little describes only uncountable nouns:

• There was little food leftover after Sunday’s dinner.
• It was so hot outside that it felt as though there was little air to breathe.

Likewise, the adjective few modifies only the countable nouns:

• The girl only has a few friends.
• A few people are going to the show tonight.

A little bit of
This adjective phrase is informal and always precedes an uncountable noun.

• There is a little bit of food in the dog’s bowl.
• I’m hoping for a little bit of snow before Christmas.

The tip and trick is: when using any of the adjective or adjective phrases listed above, check whether or not the noun is countable or uncountable and use the appropriate adjective. Have fun modifying!

Top 3 Reasons Why Grammar Matters

Many times over the years, I have been called a “grammar Nazi” for my devout adherence to and championship of grammar rules. Usually these comments just roll off my shoulders. However, a recent comment left on a previous blog started me thinking about why good grammar is so important. I believe that appropriate grammar should not only be important to me, but to everyone — especially in the workplace. Let’s take a look at my top 3 reasons why grammar matters (or should matter) in the workplace:

1. Getting a job. Good grammar and correct spelling are important in getting a job. In a survey of hiring managers, 75% said it was worse for an applicant to have a spelling or grammar error on her application than to show up late or even swear during an interview! In another survey conducted by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, nearly half of all recruitment professionals said that over 50% of the resumes they received contained grammatical errors. What do these errors in your resume say about you? Those reviewing your application may think you’re uneducated, you lack communication skills, or you don’t pay attention to details. This is not the message you want your resume or job application to convey: these messages won’t get you that job you want.
   
2. Keeping a job. Even after you have the job you want, grammar mistakes and spelling errors can be costly (and in some cases even cost you your job). For instance, in 2005 poor grammar and atrocious spelling cost U.K. companies a staggering $25 billion in lost sales. Can your company, organization or office afford to lose that kind of money? Another costly grammar mistake led the Cancer Research Center in Hawaii to lose $8 million in funding: a bill to tax cigarettes established a one-cent tax increase for the next 6 years (a total of 6 cents), but the bill was supposed to designate one-cent per cigarette sold. I definitely would not want to be the person responsible for that costly mistake! In a survey by Office Angels, 84% of surveyed employers believed that excellent work is devalued by sloppy spelling and poor grammar.
   
3. Giving and receiving respect. Lastly, grammar isn’t about following rules like a robot: it isn’t about blindly following the orders of us “grammar Nazis.” Correct grammar is about being aware of appropriate context and making your voice, your message, your content understood. Appropriate grammar shows respect for the person you are addressing. Good grammar sends a message that will be respected.

Basically, if you want your excellent work to receive the value it deserves and if you want to receive the respect you deserve in the workplace, then grammar matters!

Used to (and Would) vs. Use to

Last week a co-worker and I were discussing our biggest grammar pet peeves over lunch (yes, some of us nerdy-types do sit around and discuss this from time to time) and her biggest grammar pet peeve is when people write use to when they mean used to. There I sat with my fork in hand and my salad in front of me, wondering how often I was guilty of this grammar infraction. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the rules about when to use used to and when to use use to. I went back to work and did a little research and decided to share this with you as this week’s Tips and Tricks topic: when to use “used to (or would) vs. when to use “use to” (without the ‘d’).

Used to (or would)
1. When we say something used to happen, we are talking about repeated events and actions in the past, which usually are things that are now finished and no longer happening. (For this use of used to you can also use would.)

• When Suzy was a child, she used to collect Barbie dolls. (When Suzy was a child, she would collect Barbie dolls.)
• During the Great Depression, my grandfather used to sell scrap metal. (During the Great Depression, my grandfather would sell scrap metal.)
• I used to go out a lot before having children. (I would go out a lot before having children.)

From the examples, we can assume that Suzy no longer collects Barbie dolls, my grandfather no longer sells scrap metal and I no longer go out a lot.

2. We also use used to when talking about repeated habits in the past (Here we cannot use would).

• My cat used to hiss at squirrels.
• My husband used to smoke.
• I used to be a tribal administrative assistant.

These sentences imply that my cat no longer hisses at squirrels, my husband no longer smokes and I am no longer a tribal administrative assistant.

Use to (without the ‘d’)
The only time that we should use use to (without the ‘d’) is when it follows “did” or “didn’t” in a sentence. (Here we also cannot use would without changing the meaning).

• Did you use to work in the same office as Sally?
• Didn’t we use to go out?
• What sort of games did your children use to like?
• Sally and I did use to work together.
• Due to the snowy winters, we didn’t use to go out much.

To spare my co-worker from the annoyance of her pet peeve, please remember this general tip: when “did” or “didn’t” is in the sentence, use use to (without the ‘d’), but when there is no “did” or “didn’t” in the sentence, use used to.

Necessary Words Only

Business writing (from e-mails and memos to articles and reports) needs to be about clarity over length. Keeping your sentences short, using easily understandable words and minding the length of your writing ensures a clearer message for your reader.

Tip 1: Use short sentences.
Research shows that understanding drops when sentences are too long. A suggested average sentence length is less than 20 words. Break longer sentences down into two or more sentences, if possible. Try to stick with simple sentence construction by using the S-V-O (subject-verb-object) model for your sentences, where the subject of the sentence is first, the verb second and the object last.

Tip 2: Use simple words.
Simple words ensure that your meaning comes across loud and clear. Your audience may not have the same vocabulary that you have. Here are some examples:

• Use “prove” instead of “substantiate.”
• Use “use” instead of “utilize” or “operate.”
• Use “now” instead of “currently.”
• Use “broken” instead of “nonfunctional.”
• Use “this means” instead of “tantamount”

Apply this tip to phrases as well. Instead of saying “on a regular basis,” just say “regularly.” Instead of saying “advance planning,” stick with “planning” (all planning is technically in advance after all). You don’t want to overload your reader with unnecessary adjectives and adverbs.

Tip 3: Pay attention to overall length.
Avoid general wordiness — cut out any words, phrases, sentences or paragraphs that aren’t central to what you want your reader to understand. A general rule is to proof read your writing and cut it by 10%.

In today’s business writing, wordiness and length tend to obscure the meaning of the writing, leaving the reader confused. We tend to value length over clarity — a habit that needs to be broken so our readers will understand what we are saying.

Writer for the Harvard Business Publishing blog, David Silverman poses the following challenge to reduce a complex phrase to something simple. Can you cut this to just a word or two?

It is the opinion of the group assembled for the purpose of determining a probability of the likelihood of the meteorological-related results and outcome for the period encompassing the next working day that the odds of precipitation in the near-term are positive and reasonably expected. [Silverman, David. “Why Is Business Writing So Bad?”]

Finding Your Active Voice

Grammatically speaking, writing in the passive voice is not wrong. However, it is important to know the difference between passive and active voice. The active voice tends to be more direct, which is necessary in business and professional writing. Knowing the difference between these two voices is important because “the habitual use of the active voice…makes for forcible writing” (The Element of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White).

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence acts. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon — the subject isn’t “doing” the action. Let’s look at a simple example:

(Active) I love you.
(Passive) You are loved by me.

In the first sentence (the active voice), “I” am the subject and “I” do the action (“love”). The second sentence isn’t as straightforward or direct. The subject of the sentence is “you” and “you” don’t do anything — “you” are the recipient of the action (“love”).

To clarify, let’s look at a few more examples:

(Active) Your letter of October 9, 2009 arrived today.
(Active) We received your letter of October 9, 2009 today.
(Passive) Your letter of October 9, 2009 was received by us today.

(Active) The “spell-check” feature makes correcting my spelling easier.
(Passive) Correcting my spelling is made easier with the “spell-check” feature.

(Active) The administrative assistant filed the report.
(Passive) The report was filed by the administrative assistant.

Tip: Nearly 100% of the time, the active voice uses fewer words than the passive voice. It is more direct and usually conveys a clearer message.

Remember that neither voice is grammatically incorrect. However, most business writing needs a clearer, more direct voice to convey a clear message, so use the active voice.

Exception: In instances when diplomacy and tact are necessary, the passive voice tends to sound softer. The passive voice works well to convey unpleasant news.

(Active) I find your work unsatisfactory.
(Passive) Your work has been found unsatisfactory.

Using Bad Badly or Using Badly Bad

Over the weekend I watched the movie Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang (2005), staring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer. In this movie the two main characters go back and forth correcting each others’ use of bad and badly in a humorous way. After Robert Downey Jr. tells Val Kilmer that he should say "sleep bad" not "sleep badly," Kilmer responses indignantly, saying “Who taught you grammar? Badly’s an adverb. Get out. Vanish.” This comedic exchange led me to this week’s Tips and Tricks topic: Using Bad Badly or Using Badly Bad.

Here’re the facts: it is correct to say you feel bad when expressing an emotion. Bad is an adjective that modifies the noun.

Saying “I feel badly” implies that there is something wrong with your sense of touch or something wrong with the way you feel. It’s like saying you don’t feel things correctly.

Badly is an adverb - it modifies a verb. When someone says “I feel badly,” the adverb badly modifies the verb (feel).

Think of it like this: would you say, “I feel madly” or “I feel sadly”? No, you’d say, “I feel mad” or “I feel sad.” It works the same with bad and badly.

This tip applies with all verbs that describe our senses (feel, taste, smell, etc.). For example:

• “I smell bad” means “I have an offensive odor.” / “I stink.”
• “I smell badly” means “My sense of smell doesn’t work correctly.”
• “That tastes bad” means “That doesn’t taste good.”
• “That tastes badly” means “That things sense of taste works incorrectly.”

Additionally, after most other verbs (excluding those that describe our senses), it is correct to use an adverb (such as badly). For example:

• “My review went badly.”
• “As a child, I behaved badly.”

Therefore, in Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Kilmer’s character is correct in saying “I sleep badly” because badly is an adverb and the verb (to sleep) does not describe the senses. Don’t worry, Robert Downey Jr. — it’s a common mistake.

The Continuing Drama of Lay and Lie

In last week’s Tips and Tricks, I began the discussion of the ever confusing lie vs. lay by focusing only on the present tense. Assuming we are all on the same page and up to speed with our present tenses, let’s muddy the water by shifting our attention to the past tense and the past participle tense.

(Remember, we are talking about lie as in “to recline” and lay as in “to put or place.” The present tense of lie is lie or lying. The present tense of lay is lay or laying.)

To begin the confusion, let’s look at the past tense of lie. The past tense of lie (to recline) is lay — as in “Yesterday afternoon, I lay on my bed for an hour.” Wait! Let me get this straight — the past tense of lie (to recline) is LAY? Yes, as confusing as it may be, lay is the past tense form of to lie (to recline).

The past participle tense (when we use have, has or had) of lie (to recline) is lain — as in “She has lain on the bed all day.”

Got it? Okay, moving on to the verb lay (to put or place):

The past tense of lay (to put or place) is laid — as in “Yesterday afternoon, I laid the folder on your desk.”

And the past participle tense (using have, has or had) of lay (to put or place) is also laid — as in “She had laid the revised proposal on her boss’s desk before leaving for the day.” Well, that is easier to remember because the past tense and the past participle tense are the same word — laid!

For quick reference, I’ve created a little chart to help you keep track of these tricky verbs:

Feel like you’ve got it down or want to see if you can remember which verb and tense is which? Test your knowledge of lie vs. lay in this quiz from GrammarBook.com.

The Here and Now of Lay and Lie

Driving to work this morning, I caught myself singing along to Bob Dylan’s song “Lay, Lady, Lay” as it played on the radio. As I belted out the familiar lyrics, I was struck by yet another casualty of the ever confusing “lay vs. lie.” To avoid this mistake ourselves, let’s take a quick look at these two tricky verbs.

*Note: For this post, we’re not talking about “to lie” to mean “to tell an untruth”, but the “to recline or to set” meaning.

The key is to remember that in the present tense, lay requires a direct object and lie does not. For instance:

• You lay the folder on his desk. (The folder is the direct object)
• You lie in the afternoon’s hot sun. (No direct object)

When talking about doing something now, you lie in the sun, and you lay down the folder.

Here are two tricks to help you to remember when to use lay and when to use lie:

1. The famous Bob Dylan song that I heard in the car this morning, “Lay, Lady, Lay” is grammatically incorrect! “Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed,” implies that someone else is placing Dylan’s lady on his big brass bed, which isn’t his intended meaning. Dylan is imploring his lady to stay with him, and grammatically speaking, Dylan should have said, “Lie, lady, lie, lie across my big brass bed.” (The same grammatical error occurs in Eric Clapton’s song “Lay Down Sally.”)
2. County music artist Chris Young’s song “Lay It on Me” uses lay correctly! When Young sings about his lady’s kiss that he wants her to “come on and lay it on me,” the kiss is the direct object that he wants placed upon him.

So in the present tense, in the here and now, Bob Dylan’s “Lay, Lady, Lay” is wrong because you lie across his big brass bed, and Chris Young’s “Lay It on Me” is right because whatever “it” is, it’s a direct object.

Remember, this is just the present tense use of these tricky verbs. I’ll tackle the even more confusing past and past participle tenses of lay and lie in next week’s exciting installment of Tips & Tricks.

Shedding a Little Light on Affect and Effect

Effect and affect are two of the most confusing homonyms (words that sound similar but have very different meanings), repeatedly misused for one another. The misuse of these two words isn’t necessarily because they simply sound similar, but more likely because the rules of when to use affect with an ‘a’ and when to use effect with an ‘e’ are so confusing! My job today is to try to simplify this as much as possible…

More often than not, we should follow the very simple guideline that effect with an ‘e’ is a noun and affect with an ‘a’ is a verb. If you use affect and effect in this way, you’ll be right 95% of the time!

Effect
As a noun, effect with an ‘e’ has many meanings; however, at the heart of all of these definitions seems to be the same underlying meaning. When used as a noun, effect means “a result.” If you are talking about a result, you need to use effect. For instance:

1. The humidity today had no effect on Susan’s hair. (The humidity produced no result on Susan’s hair.)
2. The negative effects of her attitude were noticed by our supervisor. (The negative results of her attitude were noticed by our supervisor.)

Affect
Affect with an ‘a’ is a verb with multiple meanings as well. One usage means “to influence,” as in:

1. The humidity today affected my hair. (The humidity today influenced my hair.)
2. Her negative attitude affects the entire office morale. (Her negative attitude influences the entire office morale.)

A second meaning for affect with an ‘a’ is that as a verb it can be used to mean “to act in a way that you don’t feel.” For example:

1. In order to help the children remain calm, I affect a degree of serenity despite my own fears.


2. The politician affected an air of self-confidence that most found unsettling.

As I said, most of the time affect with an ‘a’ is the verb and effect with an ‘e’ is a noun. There are rare instances when these roles are reversed, but those exceptions will have to be another Tips and Tricks entry. For now, remember this basic rule and you’ll be right 95% of the time!

That vs. Which

Many people mistakenly use the words that and which interchangeably; however, they do not serve the same purpose and are not interchangeable. While some grammar experts complicate and obscure the rules dictating the usage of that and which, I strive to keep them as simple as possible! The simplest way to properly use them is to remember:

• That precedes an essential (or restrictive) clause
• Which comes before everything else.

That and the Essential Clause
To understand when to use that you must understand what makes a clause essential. An essential clause (also known as a restrictive or defining clause) provides a necessary part of the sentence by restricting or modifying another part of that sentence. Basically, you can’t get rid of the clause without losing part of the meaning and these clauses use that to introduce them. For example:

• Dogs that constantly whine annoy those around them.
  
  “That constantly whine” defines the type of dogs you are talking about. Without the clause you would be saying that all dogs annoy those around them, changing the meaning of the sentence. That comes with a clause that cannot be thrown out.

(Note: With essential clauses and therefore with that there are no commas used to separate the clause from the rest of the sentence.)

Which and the Non-Essential Clause
Which introduces the non-essential, additional information to the sentence. The non-essential clause (also known as the non-defining or non-restrictive clause) provides information in the sentence that can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence. Which clauses can be thrown out and the sentence meaning remains the same. For example:

• Dogs, which sometimes bark out of excitement or fear, make good pets.
  
  “Which sometimes bark out of excitement or fear” can be removed from the sentence and the integrity or meaning of the sentence does not change - “Dogs make good pets.”

(Note: commas are always used to separate the non-essential information from the rest of the sentence.)

Wrap It Up
That provides vital information that cannot be removed from the sentence without changing the meaning, and commas are not needed. Which introduces additional, non-essential information to a sentence, and commas are always necessary.

Bonus Tip
Remember: Do not use which or that to refer to a person. Use who (or whom or whose). See Tips and Tricks entry on Who vs. Whom.

Exercising the Writing Process to Eliminate Error

One of the best ways to avoid common writing pitfalls is to follow an important writing process. People often think to use the writing process in formal writing or while in school, but it's just as important to utilize this process in our emails, memos, reports, grants, reviews, articles and everything else we write in the workplace.

All writing is a process and there are crucial steps in this process:

1. Plan the message you want to convey. Think about what you want your reader to understand from your writing. Sometimes this phase is as short as thinking through your email response before you type it, but other times this phase can include brainstorming, outlining or writing out a plan for your thoughts.

2. Draft - get the words down. Imagine that everything you write is a first draft and therefore unfinished!

3. Revise. Make clear what you are trying to say by changing words, clarifying, simplifying or reiterating. The main way to avoid common grammar pitfalls is through revising and proofreading before we hit send, print, publish or submit.

4. Proofread. There are proven proofreading strategies. First, read your writing aloud. We often hear the mistakes we write because they “just don’t sound right.” Second, start at the end. Read your writing one sentence at a time, starting with your last sentence. This works well to help clarify your ideas and your grammar sentence by sentence. The third strategy is to ask a friend or co-worker to read your draft. An additional set of eyes will often catch what we overlooked. Finally, utilize spell check, grammar check and other “look-up” tools, like www.dictionary.com. If the program you're writing in doesn’t have spell check or grammar check, copy your text into Microsoft Word and check it there. For more, click here for our May 5 Tips and Tricks Tuesday post.

According to Strunk and White’s acclaimed book on writing, The Elements of Style, we all benefit from approaching everything we write through this writing process because “few writers are so expert that they can produce what they are after on the first try.” Remember, everything you write is a rough draft until after you have worked it through the entire writing process.

Good/Well: When to Use "Good" and When to Use "Well"

Speakers of the English language often use good when they should use well, especially in speech. The general rule regarding this common grammatical error is that you do something well, but a thing is good.

Well is an adverb — it modifies verbs. Good, on the other hand, is an adjective, describing nouns. As a rule then, we do not use good to describe verbs.

Correct: The boy behaves well when he is around his mother.
Correct: For his good behavior, he is given a good sized piece of pie.
Correct: The dog fetches well.
Correct: He is a good dog.

However, there are exceptions to this general usage rule (which is probably why this is such a tricky, typical error).

The first exception deals with verbs of sensation (relating to the senses). The word good is appropriate to use as an adverb with verbs of sensation. For example, saying, “The homemade cookies smell good,” is correct. Saying, “The homemade cookies smell well,” implies that the cookies have noses.

Exception number two is even trickier! An often difficult decision takes place when using a linking verb. Linking verbs don’t take adverbs, so we’ll want to use good and not well. For instance, we say, “I feel good,” and “He is good at pool,” because the verbs “feel” and “is” are linking verbs.

While keeping these exceptions in mind, the most important bit to remember is the general rule: you do something well, and a thing is good.

My Darling Dangling Modifier

One of the most common grammatical errors is the dangling modifier. Although your reader may be able to decipher your intended meaning from the sentence, having a dangling modifier can create misleading information, confusion or concern.

What is a modifier? A modifier (also known as a participle) is a descriptive word, phrase or clause that adds detail to the noun to which it’s attached. It describes the noun closest to it. Dangling modifiers — also called dangling participles — are descriptive words, phrases or clauses suffering from separation anxiety. We usually find them at the beginning of sentences. The modifiers are perfectly happy (and grammatically correct) when the thing they describe is planted right next to them. When that modified thing isn’t next to the descriptive phrase, the participle will clutch at and describe the closest noun, ultimately changing the meaning of your sentence.

Let’s look at a few examples:

Example 1: Incorrect: Smashed flat by a passing truck, the dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger.

Oh no! That poor dog! Because of the way this sentence is arranged, the modifier in the above sentence — “smashed flat by a passing truck” — describes the noun nearest it, which is the dog. That was not the author’s intent. Read the sentence below with the modifier describing the appropriate noun.

Example 1: Correct: The dog sniffed at what was left of a half-eaten hamburger that had been smashed flat by a passing truck.

Let’s try another one:

Example 2: Incorrect: After rotting in the basement for a week, your brother brought me an orange.

According to this example, your brother has been “rotting in the basement for a week.” No one wants a rotten brother anywhere near them, so we move the dangling modifier to correctly modify the appropriate subject.

Example 2: Correct: Your brother brought me an orange that had been rotting in the basement for a week.

Here’s a slightly more serious example and one that is more likely to occur in an office setting. A company policy reads:

Example 3: Incorrect: If taking more than 3 consecutive sick days, a signed doctor’s note is needed.

Who is taking more than 3 consecutive sick days? This sentence says that “a signed doctor’s note” is taking more than 3 consecutive sick days. That is not the intended meaning. To revise, decide who actually will be taking off these days.

Example 3: Correct: If taking more than 3 consecutive sick days, an employee will need to provide a note from their doctor.

Dangling modifiers plague our emails, memos, letters, reports and policies, changing the meaning of them in unintended ways. When you know what to look for and be aware of, you too can avoid this common grammatical pitfall.