Grammar Guide

46. Commas with Introductory Sentence Elements

2008-10-26T14:33:00.006-05:00

Hello, Everybody, and welcome back to another grammar lesson--and this time, we will continue with a closer look at some more punctuation problems. Have you ever seen a sentence with too many commas? Not enough commas? Commas in the wrong place? This happens too frequently, resulting in confusing sentences, and I know you don't want others to misunderstand what you mean when you write your thoughts down. Right? So...let's check these comma rules out.

Our first rule is this: Use a comma after introductory words, mild interjections, or adverbs at the beginning of a sentence.

Here are some examples:

1. Well, he won't get bow-legged carrying his brains.

Here, "Well..." is simply an introductory word in the sentence. There's a natural pause after it, and we notice that it actually
doesn't add anything to the meaning of the sentence. In other words, it's parenthetical or a digression from the main idea of the
sentence. If "Well..." were left out, its meaning would not be affected, although it does add a bit of conversational style.

2. Wait, we're fixin' to spray the gallonnippers off that puddle of water right now.

In this sentence, we have the same general rule at work. "Wait..." is a mild interjection this time, followed by a natural pause and
is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

3. However, I will have some of those chicken dumplings and cornbread.

Finally, we see here the adverb "However..." at the beginning of this sentence. Once again, this simple introductory word
could be omitted from the sentence without changing its meaning. "However..." is, though, an important transitional word used
for coherence in writing.

Note: Some of you may wonder why I haven't mentioned that quite often, the comma following an introductory word CAN be
omitted in some sentences. Okay. So now I'll say it : As long as there is no confusion with the meaning of the sentence, you
most certainly have that option.

And now...today's second rule follows:

Use a comma after a series of prepositional phrases at the beginning of a sentence.

Here are some examples of this rule:

1. From my seat at the end of the table, I listened to Grandma as I devoured her country ham and red-eye gravy.

Here, "From my seat...", "...at the end...", and "... of the table..." are three prepositional phrases, back to back. Therefore, we need to place
a comma after the last one, making the meaning perfectly clear.

2. Under that table by the fireplace, Jerome's dog lay, proud as a dog with two tails.

The two back-to-back prepositional phrases, "Under that table..." and "...by the fireplace..." once again need to be followed
by a comma. How easy is that?

And now...for today's final rule:

A SINGLE prepositional phrase at the beginning of a sentence does not need to be followed by a comma unless the comma is needed for clarity.

1. On Saturday our family enjoyed Whiteville High School's production of DRACULA.

Since "On Saturday..." is just one prepositional phrase, no comma is needed...but notice the difference here:

2. Before the recent hit, OKLAHOMA was WHS's most popular production.

Without a comma following "...hit...", we might infer that OKLAHOMA was the school's most popular production,
rather than DRACULA, or that the sentence is too confusing to understand.

I'll now end with a suggestion about commas I heard many years ago: "When it doubt, leave it out!" Keep this in mind and you'll see what a great help it can be.

Well, this brings us to an end for today's lesson. I hope you've all learned something and can remember to use what you've learned! Have a great week, enjoy our beautiful Columbus County weather, and be happy. Remember that I love hearing from you and appreciate your suggestions for topics. Peace and happiness, GG

45. Uncomplicating Commas in a Series

2008-10-12T16:22:00.003-05:00

45. Uncomplicating Commas in a Series

Hey, Everyone, and I hope today's been a good day for you. This lesson addresses another rule that people tend to get confused about occasionally, so let's see if we can clear this one up.

Have you ever had trouble with commas? Our language has lots of uses for commas, but we will start with one that shouldn't be too difficult. We'll continue with some of the other ones in the weeks to follow.

What do you know about...commas in a series?

The rule says that we should use commas... AFTER ALL BUT THE LAST ITEM OR ELEMENT IN A SERIES.

Now...first, you need to be sure that you understand the word "series" in this context, so here's the definition:

A series consists of three or more WORDS...PHRASES...or CLAUSES in a sentence.

1. Here's an example of WORDS in a series:

The Columbus County Fair entertained many folks this year with rides, agricultural competitions, and spelling bees among other delightful activities.

Notice in this sentence that there are commas after "rides,"and "competitions", illustrating that these two words are the "items in a series" that demand commas. However, since "bees" is the last item in the series, no comma is needed. So easy, right?

Be sure you pay attention to the idea that these "items" in a series can be more than three and that they can fall anywhere in the sentence...such as in the following...

Whiteville, Tabor City, Chadbourn, Fair Bluff, Lake Waccamaw, and Hallsboro are six towns or communities in North Carolina's third largest county, Columbus.

Commas follow the name of each community or town...but this time there are six "items" in the series, with commas following the first five, but NOT the sixth since, again, we don't put a comma after the last item. Are you with me?

Assuming that you are, we'll move on to the second rule for using items in a series:

2. Commas should also be used with three or more PHRASES in a series. A PHRASE is a group of related words that do not have a subject and verb. We have talked about prepositional phrases before, so just think about that. In prepositional phrases we see things like this: in the country, over the bridge, around the corner, in the cow patch, etc. We also see other types of phrases sometimes in sentences, but the one thing that all have in common is that they do not have a subject and verb. OK...so here's an example of PHRASES in a sentence:

Some language experts say that at least five different dialects of English are spoken today in North Carolina: on the Outer Banks, in the central piedmont, in the mountains, by highly educated folks, and by the uneducated.

In this sentence, there are four commas following each location or groups of people and, once more, the final "item" needs no comma--it does, however, need a period since "uneducated" ends the sentence.

And... finally...the third rule about items in a series:

3. Commas should be used with three or more CLAUSES in a series. A CLAUSE is a group of related words with a subject and verb. When this happens, we say we are using CLAUSES in a series in a particular sentence. So...let's see if you're still hanging in there..Check the following example:

Many Southerners believe that everybody has to look out of his own keyhole, that the dinner bell is always in tune, and that a closed mouth gathers no foot.

In this sentence of funny Southern sayings, commas follow "keyhole" and "tune" because both words end their CLAUSES. Again, there's no comma needed after the final "item", but since "foot" ends the sentence, only a period is needed.

Also, note the subjects and verbs in the three different clauses: In the first clause, EVERYBODY is the subject and HAS is the verb. In the second clause, BELL is the subject and IS is the verb, and in the third clause, MOUTH is the subject and GATHERS is the verb.

ALERT! Now I know there are some of you who are wondering why I haven't said that the comma coming before the conjunction (and, but, or) in the series can be omitted. The truth is that this is another one of those language changes that often happens, particularly if a language is in constant use...and you can be sure that's true of English. Yes, it's so. You CAN omit the comma before the conjunction if you like. That's an option nowadays. For English teachers like me, though, it's tough to relax the rule I learned, so I have given you the more "formal" option to use--particularly in Standard English. Nevertheless, either way is fine. Take your choice.

...And so... we come to the end of another lesson. I hope this has helped you if you've had trouble with this rule. There are other comma rules we'll be reviewing--some we most certainly need to get corrected, so stay tuned for more info about commas. Meanwhile, let me know if you have any questions and any ideas for topics we haven't covered. Carpe diem to all with peace, love, and laughter. GG

44. Is It A or AN, Mr. Anchorman?

2008-10-05T16:12:00.004-05:00

Hello, again, Everybody. It's good to have you back, ready to tackle some more grammar problems. Today's lesson is such a simple one that you should be able to master it in no time at all.

Have you ever heard anyone make a mistake like the following?

" Judy wrote her friend a thank-you note expressing appreciation for AN unique gift."

...or...

" Lillian has AN one-year subscription to People magazine."

If so, you are in good company, since it seems that lots of folks learned this rule ...but only part of it.

Here's the rule: "A" is used before consonant SOUNDS and "AN" is used before vowel SOUNDS without any regard for whether the letter is a consonant or vowel.

Did you remember all of this rule...especially the part about SOUNDS?

It appears that what most people do is interpret the rule this way: "A" precedes all consonants and "AN" precedes all vowels. Not so! As with so many other rules, there are exceptions and here they are:

We seem to find more problems with words that begin with "H" ( a consonant letter), "U" (a vowel letter) and "O" (another vowel letter.)

"H" is silent at the beginning of just a few words: hour, honest, herbal . When this happens, "AN" precedes the word: an hour, an honest man, an herbal cup of tea,etc. When "H" is not silent, "A" precedes the word: a history book, a historical figure, a hurricane, etc.

"AN" is also used when the word following the article is a short "U" as seen in these words: an uncle, an umbrella, and an undertaker. Notice that even though these three words begin with the vowel "U", they don't sound like a long "U" . Therefore, we must classify them as an exception to the rule for another reason.

"A" is also used before words that have a "yew" or long "A" sound: a eulogy, a Utah student, a university, etc. Therefore, even though the examples here begin with a vowel, the correct word to use is "A", not "AN" because eulogy, Utah, and university begin with a "yew" or long "A" sound.

...And that's all there is to it. Pretty easy, huh? I hope this makes sense to you! I'm signing off for another day, wishing the very best to all. Thanks for the continued comments and suggestions for new lessons. I love hearing from you! Peace, happiness, and laughter, GG

43. More Mispronunciation Madness - Part III

2008-09-21T13:43:00.004-05:00

Hello, again! I hope you're all well, happy, and eager for another grammar lesson.

Do you cringe when you hear certain words mispronounced? Has anyone ever corrected your own pronunciation of a word? While it's certainly true that some words are pronounced one way in one part of our country and another way in another part of our country, many of these regional speech differences are perfectly okay. Some, however, are just downright wrong and that's what we will be focusing on today.

So... let me start with one that makes me nearly have a duck fit, and this one is heard right here in Columbus County...CAROLINA.

I heard one of my college professors say once that the word CAROLINA is among the most beautiful sounds in the English language, and you can believe that I agree with him. Unfortunately, though, some of our natives pronounce it like this:

"I'm from North or South KA-LIN-A."

Woe am I!!! Agony! When such a beautiful word is pronounced this way, we're not showing the proper homage to our home state! CAROLINA has four syllables (sounds) and we need to pronounce every one of them:

CAR-O-LIN-A

You will do this from now on, won't you? Thank you very much.

Another frequently mispronounced word is TERMITE.

These dreaded little visitors to our homes are sometimes called...

"TEAR (rhymes with bear) mites"

Just remember that the "tear" part of the word rhymes with "sir" and you'll be in good company.

Here's another one that drives me a little crazy...however, this pronunciation is certainly not limited to North Carolina. Actually, we probably pronounce it correctly more than lot of other people, especially non-Southerners, but since we constantly hear it on TV and tend to gradually pick up speech we hear there, I had to mention this one...HALLOWEEN.

Have you noticed lots of folks on TV pronounce HALLOWEEN as HOLLOWEEN?
As a long-time lover of the fun of Halloween, I have to pounce on this one like a rabbit in a lettuce patch! All we have to do is just notice that there's an A following the H, not an O!! Come on, y'all. This one should be super simple to correct.

Now for our final pronunciation problem for today...AMERICA.

Most of you very likely do not have trouble with this word, but, again, since it is heard so many times incorrectly on TV, I'm going to ask that you be extra careful about not pronouncing it as...AMURICA. No doubt, we need to get this one right!
There's not U in AMERICA-- just an E following the M. How easy is that?

Well, time's flying and we'd better finish up. I hope you've learned something today and that you'll pronounce these words correctly! Please feel free to send me any other incorrect pronunciations you've heard (as well as other ideas for lessons) and I'll be glad to focus on them. Have a great week and carpe diem. Peace and happiness to all! GG

42. GOOD or WELL? How Do You Tell?

2008-09-07T16:19:00.003-05:00

Hey, Friends, and I hope you all are happy and healthy.

Today's lesson addresses another very commonly heard and seen error around Whiteville. Do you know when it's correct to use GOOD and WELL? Are they interchangeable? How do you know when to use one or the other?

How many times have you heard someone say something such as...

"Our preacher spoke GOOD this morning during church"

...or...

"Even if someone is not feeling GOOD, he should still speak clearly"?

Oh, my goodness! I'm afraid these kinds of sentences are very common and are examples of the misuse of GOOD, and it is here that we will focus today. Actually, WELL does not seem to give folks too much of a problem, or at least that's true in our neck of the woods. Have you ever heard anyone say something like this...

"WELL organization is important in a speech"

...or...

"Barry has developed a WELL serve in his tennis game"?

I hope I'm correct in saying that you'd never use WELL in sentences like these. Wouldn't you just automatically use GOOD? Right on.

So now...now let's take a look at why we can't always use these words interchangeably.

Put very simply, always use GOOD as an adjective. Remember that adjectives are words that describe nouns and pronouns. They answer these questions:

Which one? How many? What kind of ?

Notice in the two example sentences above that the word in question (WELL) describes nouns: "organization" and "serve", so you already have one reason that WELL is wrong: Nouns are being modified or described. In addition, the following questions are being answered:

Which organization? A GOOD one, not a WELL one.

What kind of serve? A GOOD one, not a WELL one.

Now I have to mention that there is one time when GOOD can be used as something other than a simple adjective. When GOOD is used as a linking verb in a sentence, it functions as a predicate adjective that modifies the subject. Used this way, GOOD can mean either "pleasant," comfortable," or "in a happy state of mind." At least it's still being used in the adjective sense :-)

Do you remember what a linking verb is? They don't express action, but link the subject of the sentence to predicate pronouns or predicate adjectives. They also are very frequently a part of the "to be" verb: is, am, are, was, were, etc. In addition, they are often related to the senses: sound, taste, appear, feel, look, smell, etc.

Here are some examples of sentences using linking verbs:

Whiteville's football team appears GOOD this year.

The South Columbus Band sounded GOOD Friday night.

Joe's barbeque tastes especially GOOD when you're hungry.

Now...What about WELL?

WELL can be used as an adverb to modify an action verb. When it's used this way, WELL means that the action expressed by the verb is performed expertly or properly. Many adverbs end in "ly", but not all--note the following:

Remember that adverbs answer these questions:

How? When? Where? Why? To what extent?

Here are some examples:

Cassie writes WELL when she puts her mind to it. (HOW does she write? WELL is used as an adverb.)

Harriet dances WELL when she's on stage. (Again, HOW does she dance? WELL is used as an adverb.)

Finally, WELL can also be used as a predicate adjective after a linking verb. Sounds familiar, huh? This is very similar to the second use of GOOD above. Here, WELL means "in good health."

Here's another example:

Although Danielle appeared WELL, she was really very sick. (Notice the meaning here and WELL acts as an adverb.)

So... another lesson is completed! I hope this makes lots of sense to you and that you won't have any more problems with GOOD and WELL. I love hearing from you with special requests for future lessons. Meanwhile, have a great week. Much peace, happiness, and laughter. GG

41. THEM and THOSE and the Problems They Pose

2008-08-24T14:19:00.002-05:00

Welcome back, all of you grammarphiles! I hope all is well and that each of you is minding his/her beeswax :-) Today's lesson is another one we need especially here in southeastern North Carolina. Of course, we're not alone making these usage mistakes, but I don't believe other parts of the country could "outbrag" us and say this error is heard more somewhere else than here.

So...what is it? This one, unfortunately, is heard way too much-- the misuse of THEM and THOSE. (Have mercy!)

Okay. Let's see what the difference is between these two words:

THOSE can act as either a pronoun or an adjective.

Check out the following examples:

1. Where did you get THOSE sunglasses? (Here, THOSE is used as an adjective describing WHICH sunglasses.)

2. THOSE are amazing sunglasses! ( THOSE is used as a simple pronoun acting as the subject of the sentence.)

Actually, we don't normally have trouble with THOSE...But with THEM? Now that's another story:

THEM is always used as a pronoun...never as an adjective...Notice the following correct uses of THEM:

1. I want to go with THEM to Lake Waccamaw. (THEM is used as a simple pronoun acting as the object of the preposition
of "with.")

2. George told THEM that it would soon be hog killing' weather. (Again, THEM is a pronoun acting, this time, as the direct object.)

Now all of this should be super simple. Nevertheless, we have one little quirk that we need to be aware of, and it is this use that gives us so much trouble. Just because THOSE can be used two ways (as an adjective and a pronoun), it doesn't follow that THEM can also be used two ways.

Again, remember that THEM can ONLY be used as a pronoun.

Take a look at some of the mistakes we hear too much (groan)...

1. THEM boys are so lazy they couldn't say "sooey" if the hogs were eating them.( Because the word in question precedes a noun--boys-- only an adjective will work here and, therefore, only THOSE is correct. THEM can never be used as an adjective.)

2. Do you think THEM hunters will be ready to hunt on Labor Day this year? (Again, the word in question precedes a noun--hunters-- so only an adjective will be correct here. THEM is not an adjective, but THOSE is!)

All right. Here are a few sentences to help you practice your skills. Which word in each sentence is correct?

1. (THOSE, THEM) cats jumped around like monkeys on a barbed wire fence.

2. (THOSE, THEM) are the best boiled peanuts I've had all summer.

3. Betty told (THOSE, THEM) that her car was such a gas guzzler it would pass everything but a fillin' station.

Well, all right! I have a feeling that you did a great job with this little quiz. Here are the answers:

1. THOSE is correct because it is an adjective modifying "cats".

2. THOSE is correct because it is a pronoun acting as the subject of the sentence.

3. THEM is correct because it is a pronoun acting as the direct object.

Once again, we see that this commonly seen and heard mistake is very easy to correct! Just think about it and practice saying and writing it correctly. You'll quickly master this boo boo and be struttin' like a rooster.

Ah, yes, it's again time to close up shop. Thanks so much for your attention and have a wonderful week. Peace, love, and laughter to all! GG

40. The Redundant Blunder

2008-08-17T14:48:00.007-05:00

Hello, Everyone! I'm back again today with another rule concerning something we hear and read everywhere, it seems--and this one isn't peculiar only to Southerners :>)

Have you ever noticed how many times we repeat things in conversations and writings? This error is called a REDUNDANCY...or sometimes we'll hear a grammarian say, "Your remark is REDUNDANT!" Webster's defines REDUNDANT as ..." exceeding that which is necessary...excess...using more words than is needed...repetition..."

Now this kind of error is not normally a grammatical error. It is, however, an error that that weakens the impact of good writing and conversation.

So...what are some examples of this blunder? Actually, there are many being used around us all the time and most folks probably don't even realize it. Here are some examples:

One I used to hear quite often in my English classes was the following:

"Please repeat that again."

Okay. Think about it. When you say, "Repeat...again", aren't you repeating yourself? The way to improve this sentence would be to say, "Repeat that, please." Just leave out the repetitious word.

Redundancies can appear as short as two words:

1. New innovation...Just say "innovation". Including "new" with "innovation" is repetitious
2. Necessary prerequisite...Just say "prerequisite". "Necessary" is not needed.
3. Fellow colleague...Drop "fellow". "Colleague" is fine alone.

Redundancies can also appear as longer phrases:

1. We thought we had provided adequate seating with a chair for each person in attendance.
This sentence is wordy. One possible way to improve it would be to say something like this:

1. We thought we had provided adequate seating.
This time you have come straight to the point and not put your reader to sleep.

Here's another example of a longer redundant phrase:

2. Although Frank tried to keep his thoughts to himself, he suddenly thought out loud to the startled group.
Another wordy sentence. Try something like this to improve it:

2. Although Frank tried to keep his thoughts to himself, he suddenly spoke to the startled group.
Much better!

Becoming aware of redundant words and phrases will probably take some effort since we're so accustomed to hearing and seeing them, but if you work on it and stay alert, you'll greatly improve your speaking and writing.

Here are some more to think about:

REDUNDANT PHRASE EXPLANATION

absolutely certain... There's no room for doubt...It's absolute...
a.m. in the morning... If occurring in the morning, it has to be a.m...
and also... Use one word or the other...not both.
and etc... Etc. is Latin for "and so forth."
as an added bonus... If something is a bonus, it must be added.
ATM machine... ATM means Automated Teller Machine.
autobiography of my life... Aren't you writing it?
close proximity... You can't have "far" proximity. Delete "close."...
exactly the same... If something is exactly the same, it must be exact.
honest truth... If something isn't the truth, it isn't honest.
Kleenex tissue... Kleenex IS a tissue. Delete "tissue"
sum total... If you have a sum, you have a total. Delete one word.
true fact... By definition, a fact must be true. Delete "true".
Xerox copy... Xerox IS a copy. Delete "copy."

Well, that brings us to the end of today's lesson. There are many, many more examples of REDUNDANT words and phrases (and I've just used one--but here, it's for emphasis, and using them this way is occasionally acceptable if not overdone.) We'll look at some more of them later. Meanwhile, let me know if you hear any not mentioned here. I'm sure you have seen some of these in newspaper, magazine and sign ads. These types of expressions most certainly illustrate the "less is more" adage and should reinforce the necessity of our developing good writing and speaking skills.

Have a great week, enjoy doing lots of fun things, and remember that I love hearing from you. Peace and happiness to all! GG

39. Is It Five PAIR or Five PAIRS of Socks?

2008-08-10T14:19:00.006-05:00

Greetings again, all of you grammar lovers and I hope you're all doing well.

Today, I have decided to tackle another one of those very common errors we constantly hear that, I must admit, is going through some transition today. As I've said many times before, our language continues to change and certain expressions we hear many times today may have been considered terrible mistakes fifty years ago, for example. For this reason, Webster's now includes words in our dictionaries that are becoming semi-acceptable, and this is so because they are used so often. However, this doesn't mean that we should include these expressions in our own speech. After all, there are plenty of folks besides English teachers who cringe at the use of some of these bloopers.

One such error that is slowly creeping into the common use file today is the misuse of PAIR and PAIRS. Now we all know that A PAIR of something generally means ONE of a group of items:

ONE PAIR of shoes means exactly what it says.

ONE PAIR of shoes sit under the bed...meaning there are two different shoes under the bed--one for the right foot and one for the left foot...but together they are called ...A PAIR or one group.

However, if you were to say...

FIVE PAIR of shoes sit under the bed...you would be implying that there are ten different shoes under the bed, but you're not saying it correctly. Here, you should say...

FIVE PAIRS of shoes sit under the bed...an S is needed on PAIR to make it plural!

Remember how Webster's defines PAIR: two corresponding things designed for use together as one thing.

All you need to remember is to use the plural (PAIRS) when there are more than one groups of items, things, etc. Pretty easy, huh?

Advertisers in newspapers and on television quite frequently use these two words incorrectly. Watch out for ads that say something such as...

THREE PAIR OF PAJAMAS ON SALE FOR $ 19.99...or...

TWO PAIR OF PANTS FOR $14.95...0r...

FOUR PAIR OF GLOVES TODAY FOR $9.99.

Groan...Where have these writers been all their lives? All three of these sentences are incorrect because each pair refers to more than one group of items! Just place the S on the end of PAIR and you'll be correct.

Well, all right! What a simple rule to learn! Just remember that an S on a noun means it is plural and that's what you mean when you say...

I bought three PAIRS of overalls to wear when I work in the fields...AHHHH...such music to my ears!

Have a great week doing what you enjoy most. Peace and happiness, GG

38. BEING THAT, BEING AS, and BEING AS HOW

2008-07-27T16:58:00.009-05:00

Hello, again, all of you Grammar Lovers! Today, as we continue looking at some of the most common errors in English--both the spoken and written word among us Southerners, in particular- we will examine the misuse of some oft-heard expressions: BEING THAT, BEING AS, AND BEING AS HOW. It's probably true that these conjunctions were once considered correct expressions, but with the constant changes in language, they have gone out of formal usage in today's world. Actually, some grammarians still consider the use of these expressions to be acceptable in informal conversations, but since I know you want to express yourself correctly at all times, you will want to jump on this rule like bees on a watermelon rind.

Simply put, all you need to remember is just DON'T use these expressions! Rather, use BECAUSE or SINCE. Here are some examples of the wrong use and then the correct use:

BEING THAT it's you, the price is nothing. (Just say...SINCE it's you...or... BECAUSE it's you...)

...or...

I just happen to recollect, BEING AS you speak of raccoons, that mine ran away last week. (Just say...SINCE you speak... or... BECAUSE you speak...)

...or...

BEING AS HOW you weren't at the meeting, you don't get to vote. (Say...SINCE you weren't...or BECAUSE you weren't...)

The present participle BEING is most often used safely as part of a main verb, such as in the following sentence:

Jack is BEING as low down as a snake in a wagon track. (Of course, saying "Jack is as low down..." also works.)

Used as a conjunction, it can sometimes create awkward sentences, so just remember to use SINCE or BECAUSE instead of one of the BEING expressions!

However, as a final note, let me remind you that BEING is also used other ways...correctly...

As a noun: ...a human BEING...

As an adjective: ...for the time BEING...

So... now that we have looked at the misuse of the BEING expressions, I hope you have learned something that you'll use from now on--in both your speech and writing. Have a great week and thanks so much for the good ideas. Keep passing them on! Peace and happiness to all. GG

37. You GRADUATED What?

2008-07-13T15:17:00.002-05:00

Welcome back, Everyone! Today's topic always seems to rear its head every year around the time of graduation-and Wow! Do we have all kinds of graduations nowadays--not only from high schools and colleges, but from kindergartens, primary schools, middle schools, and junior highs. I've even heard of graduations from day care centers...and, of course, graduations occur at all times of the year nowadays. Guess we like to start out early struttin' our stuff.

All right. If we're probably going to hear this word used more and more, we should give a good look at the awkwardness of using it the way our ancestors used it back in the nineteenth century. Back then, the common way to use this word was as follows:

Even though Homer couldn't blow his nose if his brains were dynamite, he graduated eighth grade yesterday. (not as preferred today...graduated from...)

...or...

The Class of 2009 will graduate Whiteville High School as soon as they finish and pass their last courses next spring. (not as preferred today...graduate from...)

...or...

I graduated Southeastern Community College five years ago with a nursing degree. (not as preferred today...graduated from...)

More than a century ago, the commonly accepted use of this verb was, indeed, NOT TO USE from in front of a form of graduate. Today, however, the preferred way is TO USE from before a form of graduate.

Filling out a resume for a job that included a sentence such as...

I graduated UNC in 2002...

is considered awkward and archaic in today's world, so don't be misled when you hear the occasional use of this verb. You are correct to say...

Jack graduated FROM NC State two years before his sister did.

This lesson's so easy you should have absolutely NO trouble remembering it! Also, we see here the constantly changing nature of our language and how rules that were once cast in stone are no longer in force. Just check your Webster's and you'll see how many uses that once were forbidden are now making headway into our speech and writing. Don't forget, though, that some words seen in the dictionary are NOT generally accepted in Standard English or polite society.

I'm signing off for this time. Hope your day is great! Happiness and peace to all. GG

36. The AFFECT - EFFECT Disconnect

2008-03-17T11:52:00.003-05:00

Hello, again, all of you! I hope you're continuing to practice good grammar all over the place, whether you're writing or speaking. Maybe we can slowly eliminate the bad grammar practices we hear and see daily by modeling Standard English for our friends and neighbors...and maybe even the media will start paying attention to some of these much needed changes! The water won't clear till you get the hogs out of the creek, as we have heard around these parts of North Carolina :-)

Today's lesson addresses a major mix-up we see frequently with AFFECT and EFFECT, so let's tale a look at the differences between them.

Now, both of these words sound very much alike, which is probably one of the reasons we hear them confused so much. They are, however, very different in meaning, so check out the following explanation:

AFFECT is a VERB that means "to cause a change in" or "to influence." Here's an example of its correct use:

Insulting an alligator before you cross stream may AFFECT your health. ( Better get out of the water first !)

EFFECT, however, may be either a NOUN or a VERB, and this, very likely, contributes to even more confusion.

EFFECT used as a NOUN means "result" and here's an example of its correct use:

Passing the time of day with your family will have a good EFFECT on your relationship with them. (But only if everybody is bound and determined to be nice :-)

And, finally, EFFECT is used as a VERB when it means "to bring about" or "to accomplish". Actually, this use isn't as prevalent today as the other two uses, but we still see and hear it at times. Notice the correct use here:

Never drowning in his own sweat EFFECTS a negative opinion from Tom's boss that he's too lazy to work. ( Being lazy as a tarred dog won't work!)

Pretty simple, I hope. Okay, so let's see if you've mastered these little words.

1. Will the cashier's being as slow as cream rising have an (AFFECT, EFFECT) on how many people use that check-out lane at Food Lion?

2. Johnny's trifling behavior at the beach last night (AFFECTED, EFFECTED) changes in my opinion of him.

3. Myrtle's ability to catch more flies with honey than vinegar when speaking to others (AFFECTED, EFFECTED) the Nominating Committee's decision to choose her to represent them .

All right! How did you do? Here are the answers:

1. EFFECT is correct because it is used as a NOUN and means "result".

2. EFFECTED is correct , but this time because it is used as a VERB and means "brought about" or "accomplished."

3. AFFECTED is correct here because it is used as a VERB and means "causes a change in" or "influences."

All right, way to go, all of you Grammar Stars, if you made a perfect score! If you missed one or two or (heaven forbid!) all three, just review the rules above, think about it, and try to apply the rules to some sentences of your own. Never fear. You'll get it! Practice really does make perfect.

Okay, Y'all. Time to finish up and wish you each a wonderful day with much happiness!. Do continue giving me great ideas for lessons and thanks for sharing your favorite grammar peeves. Peace, GG

35. LIKE, AS, and AS IF : Are they alike?

2008-03-08T18:20:00.003-05:00

Hey! Today's lesson reviews problems we seem to have quite frequently with LIKE, AS and AS IF. Have you ever wondered whether to use LIKE or AS in a sentence such as the following?

Marti thinks (LIKE, AS) I do about iced tea - we both prefer a little tea with our sugar...

or...whether to use LIKE or AS IF in a sentence such as this one?

Jeff acts ( LIKE, AS IF) he knows everything there is to know about all 5,000 snakes in North Carolina.

If you chose LIKE in the first sentence, join the crowd of many folks who mistakenly use the wrong verb...

and... if you also chose LIKE in the second sentence, you're there again.

Here's why:

Standard English requires us to use LIKE (and its forms) only as a VERB, such as the one seen in the following sentence:

Kelly and Anthony LIKE to attend all of Brennan and Brady's ballgames...

Or as a PREPOSITION such as the one seen in the next sentence:

Robert drives LIKE a maniac.

That's pretty simple, huh? Just remember that LIKE should be used only as a VERB or a PREPOSITION.

NOW, what about AS or AS IF?

AS and AS IF are SUBORDINATE CONJUNCTIONS when they introduce clauses in a sentence. As we've studied before, a clause is a group of words with its own subject and verb and sentences can contain more than one clause.
In the first example sentence above...

"Marti thinks..." is one clause...

"...as I do about iced tea..." is another clause...and...

"...we both prefer and little tea with our sugar"...is a third clause--all in the same sentence.

Our main concern, however, is the second clause that indicates new subjects and verbs are being used in the sentence - not "Marti thinks...". and...

that new clause is "...I do about iced tea..." Since this is also a separate clause, a subordinate conjunction must appear at its beginning - hence, AS is correct, not LIKE. Remember that LIKE is considered just a VERB or PREPOSITION and since you just learned that AS is a subordinate conjunction when it precedes a clause, you know that AS is the correct answer.Well, all right!

Okay. So let's take a look at the second example sentence:

"Jeff acts..." is the first clause...

"...AS IF he knows everything ...in North Carolina" is the second clause.

So how do you prove that AS IF is correct? You should have no problem recognizing that AS IF precedes a clause. It's just that simple! .

Now it's time to give you a chance to show how much you know. Choose the correct answer in the following sentences:

(1) (Like, As) all children, Davy wanted a bike.

(2) Homer and Tony believe just (like, as) their daddy does about the dinner bell always being in tune.

(3) Junior looks (like, as) the hindquarters of bad luck.

(4) That man looks (like, as if) he's been hit in the face with a wet squirrel.

(5) Sally felt (like, as) her boyfriend did about deer season needing to be a national holiday.

Wasn't this easy? Here are the answers:

(1) LIKE is correct since there's no clause following it. LIKE is also used as a preposition.

(2) AS is correct since there IS a clause following it.

(3) LIKE is correct since no clause follows it. LIKE is also used as a preposition.

(4) AS IF is correct since there IS a clause following it.

(5) AS is correct since there IS a clause following it.

My hope is that you all made 100 on this little quiz and will never again make these mistakes! Celebrate!

Well, it's about time to close up shop and rest a spell. Y'all have a wonderful week and be as happy as you can as often as you can. Peace and happiness to all, GG

34. The Bottom Line on Messed-Up Signs and Ads

2008-02-03T12:12:00.001-05:00

Hello again all you good grammar enthusiasts! How many times have you observed signs and ads all over the place with notoriously flagrant grammatical errors -- on highway signs, billboards, and tv? What about those in newspapers, magazines, and online? I think it's time to declare a revolution on sign errors, so here we go again with more information on this problem. A former classmate of mine who is quite an expert with our language actually saw these signs recently. (Groan)

Here's one he saw right here in North Carolina identifying a parking lot for a Country Club:

PARKING FOR MEMBERS AND GUEST ONLY

Aargh!! Does this mean that each member could have only one guest? Better be sure you choose the right one! ( An S needs to be placed on the word GUEST! It's plural.)

Here's another sign he saw on the side of the road:

BOILED PEANUT FOR SALE

Lordy, Lordy. I don't know anyone around these parts who could eat just one boiled peanut. While this most likely is the result of the sign writer being too busy to pay much attention to what he's doing, somebody needs to tell him to slow down and look at what he's advertising! (Please put an S on PEANUT! It's plural.)

Take a look at the next one, seen at Oak Island:

OAK ISLAND

T SHIRT'S

& TOWELS

3 FOR $10.00

Have mercy! Here we go again with the Amazing Apostrophe. It pops up all kinds of places it shouldn't be, and is not placed where it should be! Why would T SHIRT'S have an apostrophe and TOWELS not have one? (Both nouns are plural and both should end in a simple S. Apostrophes are used ONLY to show the omission of letters and possession.)

...And, finally, I recently saw this one in a regional newspaper for gardening supplies:

BEST POTTERY

BEST SELECTION OF PLANTS

BEST GIFTS

AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT OUR CUSTOMER'S TELL US

Puhleeze, save me. Right here we see the exact same mistake with the Amazing Apostrophe that was made in the prior ad: CUSTOMER'S does not need an apostrophe! (It is plural and does not show possession, nor have any letters been omitted.)

So much for the Annoying Apostrophe. Whew! We really need to get this one straight. Just stop for a minute and think through the rules and common sense will prevail :-) I'd love to hear about other sign and ad mistakes you might see around these parts. The revolution will continue... Have a great week! Peace and happpiness to all. GG

33. The Run-On Sentence Blooper

2008-01-20T16:15:00.002-05:00

Welcome, Everyone! I hope you've been well since our last lesson and that you're ready for another topic on a grammar blooper we see all the time. If you'll pay attention and learn today's rules, you'll get an A+ for being sharp as a brier.

Today's lesson is centered on something we see written way too much: run-on sentences. Back in my teaching days, I constantly saw students using tons of them in things they wrote. This error is also seen quite a bit in written publications such as newspapers, magazines, and other such material. Let's see if we can fix this problem right now!

Here are some examples of this mistake:

1. He was behind the door when brains were passed out, he's also so clumsy he couldn't hit the ground if he fell.

...or...

2. We knew which truck we wanted to buy, we didn't have enough money.

...or...

3. Horror stories are thrilling, many people enjoy them.

...or...

4. Stephen King is a very popular horror writer, his books sell especially well at Halloween.

So... what do you think is wrong with these sentences? Each example shows two separate sentences written as though they were one sentence. This error is called a run-on sentence since they show two sentences joined by a comma. (They have run into each other :-)

All you need to do to correct this is

1. Form two separate sentences by using a period between them:

He was behind the door when brains were passed out. He's also so clumsy, he couldn't hit the ground if he fell.

2. Add a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, for, so, yet, nor) between the two sentence parts (or clauses):

We knew which truck we wanted to buy, BUT we didn't have enough money.

3. Join the two sentence parts with a semicolon:

Horror stories are thrilling; many people enjoy them...or finally...

4. Use a semicolon with a conjunctive adverb (therefore, then, moreover, nevertheless, besides, also, still, finally, consequently, accordingly, furthermore, hence, however, indeed, otherwise, thus)followed by a comma between the two sentence parts:

Stephen King is a very popular horror writer; THEREFORE, his books sell especially well near Halloween.

Now try your hand at figuring out which one in the two pairs of following sentences is correct:

A. Waccamaw Academy will have its first football team in its 40-year history next fall. The decision was made Monday night by the school's board of directors.

B. Waccamaw Academy will have its first football team in its 40-year history next fall, the decision was made Monday night by the school's board of directors.

C. The Columbus County Courthouse should look beautiful, it should also be a place where people can work or visit safely.

D. The Columbus County Courthouse should look beautiful, but it should also be a place where people can work or visit safely.

E. Whiteville's newest retail destination, Lowe's Home Store, will open next week, and many residents are thrilled.

F. Whiteville's newest retail destination, Lowe's Home Store, will open next week, many residents are thrilled.

G. The Columbus County Parks and Recreation Department began in 1977 with a budget of only $13,000, today it operates on a budget of roughly $500,000.

H. The Columbus County Parks and Recreation Department began in 1977 with a budget of only $13,000; however, today it operates on a budget of roughly $500,000.

...And...here are the incorrect answers: B, C, F, and G...and they're all incorrect because we see two sentence parts (or independent clauses) joined together by a comma as one sentence...that's why we call them run-on-sentences. Now how did we correct them?

A. We simply placed a period between the two parts.

D. Both parts are joined together by a comma and the coordinating conjunction, BUT.

E. Both clauses are joined together by a comma with another coordinating conjunction, AND.

H. Both clauses are joined together by a semicolon and the conjunctive adverb, HOWEVER.

Well, all of you grammar scholars, that should help if you've been confused by a teacher writing RS somewhere on your composition. RS just means that you've used a run-on sentence in your paragraph. Of course, now you know what to do to avoid this...Right? You have several options when choosing how to correct this error, but just be sure it makes sense. Read your idea to yourself and, no doubt, your "ear" (and common sense) will tell you what is correct.

Time to go, so take good care of yourself, and keep on with your good speech and writing. Peace and happiness to all, GG

32. Begone WENT for GONE!

2008-01-13T16:27:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to another grammar lesson. I know you've heard this error before as it is very common in these parts of North Carolina, but we surely aren't alone, and I'm about as determined as a duck after a June bug to help get rid of it!

Just recently I heard a sheriff on national TV make the following statement about a crime that was being investigated:

"It (the outcome of a crime) could have WENT either way."

Aargh!! Once again we hear people who should know better making unbelievable errors when they speak! Just ask any English teacher and others who love the Mother Tongue :-)

I imagine you can now guess what the topic of today's lesson will be. Yup, the outrageous misuse of WENT for GONE.

Let's see what's going on here.

Okay. If you'll just think about a few simple little rules, I think you'll never have trouble again with these two verbs.

The verb GO is a very irregular verb in English, and both WENT and GONE are some of its forms. As we have learned before, we sometimes need to take a look at verb conjugation to understand more fully why some rules are they way they are. Since this error is most often seen in the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses, we will concentrate there. Here's the correct use of GO in these tenses:

Present Perfect - I have gone, you have gone, he/she/it has gone, we have gone, you have gone, and they have gone

Past Perfect - I had gone, you had gone, he/she/it had gone, etc.

Futre Perfect - I shall/will have gone, you will have gone, he/she/it will have gone, etc.

Ah, ha! Did you see any examples of

"I have WENT..." , "You had WENT..." , "He/she/it will have WENT..." ?

No way! And that's because using WENT for GONE in these cases is about as bad as throwing a clod in the churn.

Now all of this begs the question: Why do lots of folks make this mistake? Maybe the answer lies in the fact that WENT actually IS corrrect in the PAST tense form of GO. Check this out:

Past of GO - I went, you went, he/she/it went, we went, you went, they went

Considering this, it's pretty easy to figure how some folks just confuse the past tense use with the three perfect tenses of GO.

Now let's see how well you can do with the following sentences:

1. David had (gone, went) a country mile before he saw the racetrack.

2. I have (gone, went) just about as far as I can go on this rocky path with no shoes on.

3. Ray (gone, went) down the road to find Linwood and jerk a knot in his tail.

4. Have you ever (gone, went) to a pig pickin'?

5. Junior (gone,went) to Cafe Gourmet last night and told me today that he ate so much his stomach was touching the table when he finished.

Here are the answers: GONE is the correct answer in sentences 1, 2, and 4. WENT is correct in sentences 3 and 5. The explanation is very simple. Sentences 1, 2, and 4 each have an "H" word (had, have, and Have) as part of the verb. The other two sentences do NOT have an "H" word as part of the verb. Pretty easy, huh? If for no other reason than that, you should never make a mistake again with GONE and WENT!

Be merciful to us English teachers by helping others who persist in saying things such as, " I had WENT to see my aunt, but she wasn't home," or "Have you WENT to buy your new shoes yet?"
We'll be forever in your debt!

For now, I'm signing off. Have a great week and practice perfect grammar! Peace and happiness, GG

31. To Clarify ALUMNI...

2008-01-06T16:42:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Have you ever been confused about which word is correct when you are referring to "graduates"? When should you use ALUMNA, ALUMNAE, ALUMNUS, and ALUMNI? The misuse of these words is fairly common, but if you'll pay attention, I'll try to show you how to use them correctly so you'll never be confused again.

Here are some examples of common mistakes with this problem:

I am an ALUMNI of Whiteville High School...or...All of the ladies in our Sunday School class are ALUMNI of The University of North Carolina at Wilmington...or Butch is an ALUMNI of NC State University in Raleigh.

Notice how the word ALUMNI is getting a good workout in the above sentences. It seems that we tend to use ALUMNI much more frequently than any of the other three words we should be using.

So what's going on here and what should we remember?

Okay...Here are some simple definitions to help you keep them straight:

ALUMNA is singular and simply means one female graduate. (Diane is an ALUMNA of Appalachian State University.)

ALUMNAE is plural and means two or more female graduates. (Heather, Alice, and Tiffany are ALUMNAE of South Columbus High School.)

ALUMNUS is singular and means one male graduate. (John is an ALUMNUS of Wake Forest University.)

...and finally...

ALUMNI is plural and means two or more male graduates. (Bill, Fred, Harry, and James are ALUMNI of South Columbus High School.)

Now... here's an additional use of ALUMNI that does not apply to the other three words:

ALUMNI (still plural) can ALSO be used when referring to both males AND females. ( All ALUMNI of the East Columbus High School Class of 1998 are invited to a class reunion on Saturday night at the Vineland Station Depot in downtown Whiteville.)

How about that? Pretty easy, I hope. Let's try a little practice to see how well you do:

1. All the (alumni, alumnae) of the Girls' Dance Team performed perfectly for the guests.

2. Because the (alumni, alumnus) of the Boys' Fishing School caught plenty of fish, everyone was happy.

3. Being an new (alumnae, alumnus) of East Carolina University made Steve's face light up like a new saloon.

4. Is it true that all your brothers and sisters are (alumni, alumnae) of Pembroke University?

5. Mrs. Baldwin told us that she was an (alumna, alumnus) of Queens University in Charlotte.

...And now, here are the answers:

1. Alumnae is correct because the reference is to more than one female graduate.
2. Alumni is correct because the reference is to more than one male graduate
3. Alumnus is correct because the reference is to one male graduate.
4. Alumni is correct because the reference is to both male and female graduates.
5. Alumna is correct because the reference is to one female graduate.

So there's another grammar lesson and I hope you've learned how to differentiate between these four words. Have a wonderful week and until next time, be happy. Peace and many regards to you all! GG

30. The WEARY/LEERY/WARY Query

2007-11-19T14:51:00.001-05:00

Hey all of you grammar enthusiasts! Welcome back to another lesson on some problems we hear quite a bit with our language.

Today's topic deals with a problem suggested by two special readers, and one that, I think, will be very easy to clear up. Just hang with me and I'll try to make this short and simple.

Have you ever wondered about the differences between WEARY, LEERY, and WARY? We probably have more confusion between WEARY and WARY, but because WEARY sounds so much like LEERY, sometimes even it gets thrown into this confusing muddle.

Let's begin with WEARY. This word, according to Webster's, is an adjective and means "...exhausted in strength, endurance, vigor, or freshness." Think of it also describing someone's patience, tolerance, or even pleasure being depleted.

Here's an example sentence:

I'm so WEARY of political commercials that I cut the TV off every time one comes on.

Here, WEARY means that the speaker is exhausted from watching so many commercials--his patience, tolerance, and/or pleasure is gone from doing so.

Next, let's move right along to WARY. This word, also an adjective, simply means "...marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchful prudence, especially detecting and escaping danger."

Here's how WARY could be used in an example sentence:

Bobby's cat kept a WARY look at the fox lurking behind the fence.

With this sentence, the implication is that the cat senses danger and is watchful in order to escape from the fox's clutches, if necessary. Pretty easy, so far, huh?

The final word is LEERY (sometimes spelled LEARY, but the former is preferred.) LEERY is another adjective and means "...suspicious, wary." WHOA! Did you notice that? WARY is a synonym (means the same) of LEERY. Now, we see one of the reasons why these three words get confused.

Here's a good way to keep this straight:

WEARY means exhausted or worn-out...while...

both LEERY and WARY mean about the same thing: suspicious or watchful.

Try your hand at these sentences:

1. Mike was (leery, weary) of hearing, "It's so dry around here the trees are bribing the dogs."

2. Kathy became (wary, weary) of the telemarketer when he told her to send a $5,000 check to cover the expense of shipping the big prize she had just won.

3. Ava became (leery, weary) of the meal her mom fixed for her after she saw something green on her plate.

How did you do? These are some simple rules to remember, so I hope you did well.

Here are the answers:

1. WEARY is correct because it means Mike is "tired" or "worn-out" about hearing this so much.

2. WARY is correct because it means Kathy is "suspicious" at hearing about such a large demand of money.

3. LEERY is correct because it means that Ava is "suspicious" since she probably doesn't want anything green on her plate.

Okay, Everyone. Did you make 100 again? See how easy most of these little problems are if you'll just think them through and remember the rules for each?

Well, it's about time to sign off. Thanks for reading this info. again, and have a wonderful week! I love hearing from you with your suggestions for another topic. Peace and happiness, GG

29. More Mispronunciation Madness - Part II

2007-11-11T16:50:00.001-05:00

Hello, Everybody! I hope you're all finer than frog hair and spending lots of time with those you love most.

Today, we're going to take a look at two commonly mispronounced words around these parts. Actually, I don't think we Southerners are the only ones hoein' this row, but you can bet we kill that skunk...a lot.

The first word is

INCENTIVE, a noun which means, according to Webster's, "...something that incites...determination or action...motivates..."

A common way we use this words is to say something such as,

One of the best INCENTIVES used by employers to encourage employees to work longer and harder hours is to pay them higher wages.

The problem occurs when the speaker pronounces the word INCENTIVE with four syllables, and not the correct three syllables. Thus, the word sounds something like this:

IN-CEN-I-TIVE (Please...horrors...I know none of you would pronounce it this way, would you?)

The word should be pronounced the following way:

IN-CEN-TIVE (Notice, please, there are only three syllables when you pronounce the word correctly...ahhhh, such music to my ears.)

The second word we're taking a look at today is PREVENTIVE, an adjective which means, again according to Webster's, "...undertaken to forestall hostile action..."

An example sentence using this word would be

PREVENTIVE steps against soil erosion were undertaken by the farmer to protect his corn crop.

As with INCENTIVE, many times folks give PREVENTIVE an extra syllable so that it, too, is pronounced with four syllables and not the correct three syllables. As a result, the word then sounds the following way:

PRE- VEN-TA-TIVE (Groan...This is enough to make a poor English teacher funeralize the English language...)

The word should be pronounced IN-CEN-TIVE! Three syllables only! (Help...Let's toss this pronunciation!)

Now before some of you get all fired up and tell me that PREVENTATIVE is in the dictionary, remember what I said in an earlier lesson. Many, many words have been included in the dictionary since the 1970's that are NOT Standard English. They are there because their use has become common. However, this doesn't mean that PREVENTIVE as PREVENTATIVE is correct! Besides, adding another syllable is completely unnecessary--in both words. If you'd like to impress your peers, professors, and everyone else around you, pronounce these words in the acceptable Standard English manner.

All right! There we have it for today. That's the last shingle off this barn. I hope this has been informative for you and that you'll be able to speak these words correctly from now on if you haven't been. Just practice, as usual, and you'll make a habit of it in no time.

Enjoy your week and thanks for reading. Drop me a line when you get a chance and let me know if you have any grammar pet peeves I haven't addressed yet. Peace and happiness to you all, GG

28. The SIT - SET Snafu

2007-11-04T15:42:00.001-05:00

Hey, Y'all! I hope you've been doing well and working hard on using your best grammar around your friends, family, and acquaintances. What a great way to make a good impression and to pass on to others the correct way of speaking and writing!

Today's lesson is another one suggested by a friend and former student, and is one that we hear folks struggle with many times. Have you ever been confused about using SIT or SET? These two verbs plague many folks but there are actually some very simple things to know about them that should solve the problem. You will probably notice that the rules for this verb are very similar to the rules for LIE and LAY, so let's take a look at them and see if we can get that rubber-nosed woodpecker in the Petrified Forest look off your face... for now and evermore.

First, let's look at what each word means and then each word's principal parts.

SIT means "to occupy a seat" and it usually does NOT take a direct object. (We've already discussed direct objects several times, but I'll briefly remind you that direct objects answer "What?" or "Whom?" to the subject and verb.)

The principal parts of SIT are

Present - sit

Present Participle - sitting

Past - sat

Past Participle - (have,has, had) sat

Remember that when verbs are conjugated they change into these forms.

Now, here are a couple of examples of the correct use of SIT:

1. Some airline passengers refuse to SIT (not SET) in row 13.

Notice that this sentence means the passengers are refusing to "occupy a seat," and if you tried the direct object test to be sure SIT is correct, you would read the subject and verb to yourself, saying, "...passengers SIT... What? or Whom?" There is, of course, no answer--this makes no sense, so SIT is correct.

2. Queen Elizabeth II SAT (not SET) on the Stone of Scone at her coronation.

In this example, SAT, the past tense of SIT, is correct. Again, the sentence is speaking of the Queen "occupying a seat." In addition, when you try the direct object test and ask "What?" or "Whom?" after the subject and verb ("Queen Elizabeth II SAT"...What? or Whom?"), you can certainly see that there is no answer to the question. Once more, this make no sense, so SAT is correct.

Okay. Now that we've reviewed SIT, we need to mention a little exception before going on to SET. As I've said many times before, exceptions to the general rule do occasionally present themselves, so here we go with one using the verb SIT.

SIT can sometimes, but not often, have a direct object. Here's an example.

SIT the patient carefully in that chair.

The meaning--"occupying a seat"--still is correct, but when you try the direct object question... ah ha! There's an answer! "(You) SIT What? or Whom? "...patient..." answers the question Whom? As a result, SIT, here, is correct.

Yes, yes, I know. It's maddening to have these exceptions, but there it is and we just have to accept another example of our very diverse and complicated language.

So...let's move right along with the verb SET.

SET simply means "to place" and DOES have a direct object most of the time.

The principal parts of SET are

Present - set

Present Participle - setting

Past - set

Past Participle - (have, has, had) set

Notice the following examples of the correct use of SET:

1. The Archbishop of Canterbury SET (not SAT) the royal crown on the new queen's head.

In this sentence, SET is used to mean "place". Now, try the direct object test. "The Archbishop of Canterbury SET..." What? or Whom? Yes, now, we have an answer: "...crown..." answers What was being "placed", so SET is correct.

2. Many sci-fi writers have SET (not SAT) the action of their stories on distant planets.

Here, again, SET is used to mean "place." Once more, try the direct object test. "...writers have SET...What? "...action..." is the answer, so SET is the correct answer.

I hope you're doing well and following these explanations. They're really very simple if you'll just practice them a little.

Now I have to tell you about another exception to a rule involving SET and all of its principal parts.

In this exception to the general SET rules, notice that this rule involves only the direct object part of the rule, much like the SIT rule above.

In certain situations, SET and all of its parts will NOT have a direct object. Here are a couple of examples:

1. The sun SETS early in the winter. (The sun SETS... What?...Whom? There's no answer, but SETS is still correct. Just stretch your thoughts and think of the sun being "placed".)

2. Some types of cement SET faster than other types. (The sun SETS...What?...Whom? Again, there's no answer, but SET is still correct. Think of the cement being "placed.")

Okay...Now it's your turn. Try the following sentences to see if you can make a grade of 100.

1. In the early days of photography, people (set, sat) motionlessly in front of a camera for long periods.

2. The police officer (set, sat) the explosive device carefully into a box lined with lead.

3. There is only one remaining bowling alley in town where Bobby (sets, sits) up the pins by hand.

4. From where we were (setting, sitting), it looked like a home run.

5. Martin had (set, sat) out his corn long before the first peep of day.

So...How was it? I hope nice and easy! Here are the correct answers and why:

1. SAT...past tense of SIT, means "occupying a seat," and there's no direct object.

2. SET...past tense of SET, means "places", and there is a direct object--device.

3. SETS...present tense of SET, means "places,"and there is a direct object--pins.

4. SITTING...present participle of SIT, means "occupying a seat," and there's no direct object.

5. SET...past participle of SET, means "placed", and there's a direct object--corn.

All right! I hope this is a Whoo Hooo moment for you! If not, just read back over the rules again and see if you can discover something you missed before. I'm also available to answer any questions anytime, so let me hear from you if there's something you're not quite sure about. I love hearing from you.

Well...since it's about dinner-gettin' time, I'm signing off. Have the best week ever and enjoy those you love the most. Peace and happiness, GG

.

27. The ACCEPT/EXCEPT Misstep

2007-10-14T14:43:00.001-05:00

Hello, Friends, and thanks for visiting again as we take a look at another common grammar problem. Today's lesson is another special request from a good friend who says he's always been confused about these two words. He's not alone! Lots of folks seem to have run across the same dilemma and still aren't sure when to use one or the other.

Let's see if we can clear this problem up. Once again I will say that so many of our little problems like this can be easily understood if we have a good understanding of basic grammar, starting with the eight parts of speech. So... let's start there.

ACCEPT (in all of its forms) is simply a verb and means "to agree" or "to receive something willingly."

Some examples of the correct use of this verb follow:

Did you ACCEPT the nomination to be class treasurer?

I've just about ACCEPTED the fact that J.R. is so lazy he'll never drown in his own sweat.

Couldn't be easier, could it? Now...

What about EXCEPT? EXCEPT can also be used as a verb which probably explains some of the confusion between these two words that sound so much alike. However, the meaning changes when EXCEPT is used:

EXCEPT, when used as a verb (in all of its forms), means means "leave out" or "exclude."

You'll notice that EXCEPT used with this meaning doesn't appear to be used nearly as much as the prior or next use, which should help make this rule about as easy as pie. Here are a few examples:

It's unfair to EXCEPT people from the team that are so skinny you can't see them when they turn sideways.

Our teacher EXCEPTED all students who talked during class from the mid-morning break.

We most assuredly don't hear this use too much anymore, but if you do run across it, just think about the meaning--EXCEPT as a verb means "leave out" or "exclude."

What we DO have trouble with is with the other use of EXCEPT. More often, EXCEPT is used as a preposition. (Remember previous lessons where I have explained prepositions as words that show relationships?)

As a preposition, EXCEPT means "but" or "excluding."-- but its most common meaning is "other than."

Notice the following sentences using EXCEPT this way:

Carolyn was fixin' to cook supper for everybody EXCEPT her one-time boyfriend who stood her up last night.

EXCEPT for Aunt Eleanor who was mad enough to spit nails, the rest of us smiled and ignored Bob's comment about her new hairstyle.

Well, that's about it for the explanations of these words, and I hope you see how easy these are. Now try your hand at a few more examples:

1. The band director (accepted, excepted) Marvin from playing his trumpet in the parade because of the injuries to his mouth from the wreck.

2. All of the boys tore up the corn rows in that fight (accept, except) for Fred who took off running through the woods in the opposite direction.

3. I will not (accept, except) your pilin' up with trash like that any more!

4. Bring me a mess of turnips any day of the week (accept, except) days that don't end in "Y".

5. Greg (accepted, excepted) grits, country ham, and eggs for breakfast as fast as his mama could serve them.

All right! How did you do? I hope this lesson has been as easy for you as the others. Here are the correct answers.

1. EXCEPTED is correct because it is used as a verb and means "left out" or "excluded."

2. EXCEPT is correct because it is used as a preposition and means "but", "excluded", or "other than."

3. ACCEPT is correct because it is used as a verb and means "to agree" or "to receive something willingly." (Although the opposite is intended here.)

4. EXCEPT is correct because ...same as #2.

5. ACCEPTED is correct ...same as #3.

So, how well did you do? I hope you made 100 again and are proud of yourself! See how easy most of these things are? Just keep studying up a little on basic grammar rules, and you'll soon be a Master Grammarian!

The clock on the wall says it's time to finish today's lesson. Hope you have the best week ever. Continue to write and let me know what concerns you have about the grammar problems you hear most often, and I'll address them ASAP. Take care, peace, and much happiness. GG

26. The COMPLEMENT - COMPLIMENT Confusion

2007-10-06T17:07:00.001-05:00

Welcome back, Everybody, and I hope all of you are healthy and happy and have been enjoying yourself since our last lesson.

We're moving right along with a new topic, addressed especially for a friend who wondered about this one, so let's put it on the front porch and take a good look at a little problem that shouldn't prove too difficult.

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between COMPLEMENT and COMPLIMENT? Yes, they do sound exactly alike but have different meanings--making them HOMOPHONES. (Other examples of homophones are TO, TOO, and TWO.)

I think you'll see that these two words are very easily distinguishable if you'll just use the little trick that follows.

Let's take a look first at COMPLEMENT.

COMPLEMENT simply means something that fills up, makes perfect, or completes. Notice that both COMPLEMENT (along with its other forms) and COMPLETE have two "E's", so the meaning of COMPLEMENT has its own definition right there in the word itself. An example can be seen in a sentence such as this:

Joan's shoes and pocketbook COMPLEMENT her dress since the color gold is used in all three items.

Here, the idea is that the shoes, pocketbook, and dress are all "completed or made perfect" by Joan's idea of using a monochromatic color scheme.

Now, what about COMPLIMENT?

COMPLIMENT (and all of its other forms) just means to praise or admire. Here, we have only one "E'" in COMPLIMENT, so we now have a different meaning.

An example for this follows:

Greg loved to COMPLIMENT Debra's beautiful eyes.

Here, Greg is showing his admiration for Debra's eyes.

Easy, right?

Try the following sentences to see if you have this rule down pat.

(1) Some young ladies are suspicious of a man's attempt to (complement, compliment) their looks.

(2) What a wonderful (complement, compliment) to a baked ham supper is a big bowl of black-eyed peas!

(3) The sound of Whiteville High School's Marching Band (complements, compliments) the floats and other units in the Homecoming Parade.

(4) Steve's gorilla costume was perfectly (complemented, complimented) by hairy hands and feet.

(5) Betty said her blind date was so ugly he'd have to sneak up on a glass of water to get a date--even if he (complemented, complimented) it all night long.

So...how did you do this time?

(1) COMPLIMENT is correct because it implies a man's attempt to praise or admire these young ladies.

(2 COMPLEMENT is correct because it suggests how the addition of black-eyed peas is completing or making the supper perfect.

(3) COMPLEMENT is correct because it refers to the sound of the band completing or making the parade perfect.

(4) COMPLEMENT is correct because it implies how the hairy hands and feet completed or made the costume perfect .

(5) COMPLIMENT is correct because it suggests praise or admiration of the date (in the negative form).

Well, all right! I hope you made 100 on this little quiz and now completely understand these two homophones. Just keep in mind the two "E's" rule and you'll be good to go.

That time has come again, folks. As I write this, it's about pink of the evening, so I'm signing off for now. I hope all goes just perfect for you until we meet again. Do continue to give me ideas and suggestions about these lessons and I'll get right to them as soon as possible Much peace and happiness to you and yours, GG

25. The SAW / SEEN Spin

2007-09-30T16:48:00.001-05:00

Hey, all of you Grammar Stars! It's good to have you back again and ready for a new lesson. I hope you've all been as busy as bees on a watermelon rind, enjoying yourself and being happy.

Today's lesson is another special request and I am eager to address it since I think this one is especially peculiar to our Southeastern North Carolina area -- and maybe throughout most of the South. Let me know. At least I haven't seen this one addressed in any grammar books (as a separate problem) that I've seen recently or even in the past. This one belongs to us!

So what is it?

This hindersome and annoying mistake is heard just about everywhere around Columbus County N. C.-- the irritating misuse of SEEN for SAW. If you live around here, I know you've probably heard it dozens of times, so I'm now going to see if we can clear up the cobwebs on this one now and forever!

First, though, here's a quick review of verb tenses. All English verbs have six tenses and I'll use examples from today's subject lesson to go through them.

PRESENT - I see, you see, he/she/it sees, we see, you see, they see

PAST - I saw, you saw, he/she/it saw, we saw, you saw, they saw

FUTURE - I shall see, you will see, he/she/it will see, we shall see, you will see, they will see

PRESENT PERFECT- I have seen, you have seen, he/she/it has seen, we have seen, you have seen, they have seen

PAST PERFECT - I had seen, you had seen, he/she/it had seen, we had seen, you had seen, they had seen

FUTURE PERFECT - I shall have seen, you will have seen, he/she/it will have seen, we shall have seen, you will have seen, they will have seen

Now, don't worry about all of this technical language just now. There ARE things you need to know about all of these tenses, including what they mean and when they are used, but for right now, we're concentrating on just SAW and SEEN.

Okay. So this is the kind of thing we hear way too much:

I SEEN (instead of SAW) that movie last week at the Cinema... or...

Betty SEEN (instead of SAW) her second cousin at the Harvest Festival in Whiteville last November...or...

Did you know we SEEN (instead of SAW) some good talent at the Columbus County Fair last night?

Groan...Hearing this mistake makes me about as crazy as a lost dog in a meat market. PUH - LEEZE! Spare me!

Just remember this and you'll get it right every time:

Use SAW ONLY when you are speaking or writing in the PAST TENSE and when HAS, HAVE, or HAD is NOT a part of the verb.

Example:

I SAW the football game last night at Legion Stadium.

Here, the football game happened obviously in the past (last night), and HAS, HAVE, or HAD is not a part of the verb.

Use SEEN only when you are using HAS, HAVE, or HAD as part of the verb.

Example:

Louise HAD SEEN that TV program several times by the time Kenwood saw it.

Here, SEEN is correct because Had is part of the verb.

There is one little thing you should keep in mind: If the subject and verb are separated from each other, the broken apart verb still remains the verb of the clause you are working with. This happens most frequently in sentences that ask questions. For example:

Have you SEEN my little brother?

In this sentence, the subject is YOU and the verb is HAVE SEEN, even though HAVE SEEN is not together. I'm not sure we have much trouble saying something such as, "Have you SAW my little brother?", but this has been known to happen, so if this has been troublesome for you, just remember, once again, that using HAVE in a sentence such as the preceding requires us to use SEEN -- not SAW.

Try a few on your own.

(1) Ricky (saw, seen) his flat bed trailer being used in the parade.

(2) I never (saw, seen) such a big sweet potato!

(3) Have you (saw,seen) the oysters being served at Dale's Seafood this week?

(4) Greg (saw, seen) his sister's pocketbook hanging on the back of the chair.

(5) Mrs. White had (saw, seen) many apples disappear from her kitchen until she decided to catch the culprit.

I hope you see how very easy these sentences are. Here are the correct answers:

(1) SAW...because there is no "H" word part of the verb (HAS, HAVE, HAD) , and past tense is obviously required.

(2) SAW...same as (1)

(3) SEEN...HAVE is part of the verb

(4) SAW...same as (1) and (2)

(5) SEEN...HAD is part of the verb

All right! Isn't that easy? Just watch out for the "H" words as a part of the verb, and you'll never have trouble with SEEN again!

Well, it's about time to let you go, and since we've moved that ox out of the ditch, let me wish you a great week with lots of happy things for you and yours. Next time we'll continue with some of the special requests I've been receiving. Keep your ideas for lessons coming! Much peace and time to relax. Warmest regards, GG

24. Different FROM or Different THAN

2007-09-23T16:45:00.001-05:00

Hey, Friends! How has your week been? Have you been trying out your grammar expertise on your friends and family? Go right ahead! Let's see if we can spread good grammar everywhere we go and make everyone as smart as a tree full of owls. :-)

Today's lesson comes as a special request--something I love to hear -- since YOU hear as many mistakes as I do and I want to give you a voice.

Now... how many of you have found yourself trying to figure out what you should say when it comes to using ...different FROM... or ...different THAN? Thank goodness, this is one of the easiest and shortest rules to know (most of the time), so if you HAVE found yourself in this dilemma, you shouldn't have any more difficulties after this lesson.

Here's all there is to it:

RULE #1:

Use ...different FROM...almost all the time. Technically, ...different FROM... simply precedes a noun or pronoun. How easy is that?

Here are a few examples:

1. Jack is so different FROM Tom, his brother -- Tom's about as bright as a burned - out light bulb! (Here, FROM precedes TOM, a noun, so, of course, FROM is correct, not THAN.)

2. These cloud formations are different FROM THOSE. (Same thing, different words. FROM precedes THOSE, although THOSE is not a noun, but a pronoun. Remember the rule? Pronouns work as well as nouns. THAN is wrong.)

3. Thad proved that ice skating is different FROM roller skating. (Once again, FROM precedes roller skating, a noun, so FROM is the only thing we can use. Again, THAN is wrong.)

Got it? I am going to assume that you're as sharp as a brier and do. Therefore, we'll move on to the other phrase, ...different THAN..., and see how to use it correctly.

Oh, yes. There IS a time when we CAN use ...different THAN... although I'll have to be honest and tell you that some grammarians would say not even to mention this part of the rule. However, because some of you scholars out there might wonder why I didn't include the next section, I figured I would at least give it a brief acknowledgment.

RULE # 2:

Use... different THAN...right in front of a clause ( a group of words with with its own subject and verb. Many times you will see several different clauses in one sentence. Nevertheless, you only want to focus on the clause that follows ...different THAN...)

Before I say more on this topic, I think it might be helpful to review CLAUSES with you.

All clauses in sentences have at least one subject and verb. Some clauses are called Subordinate (or Nonessential) Clauses, and others are called Independent (or Essential clauses.) We won't worry about this part of clauses until a little later, though. For now, let's just think about clauses being little groups of words with a subject and verb. Here are some examples:

1. The job was quite different THAN what I imagined.

In this sentence, there are two different clauses: "The job was quite different..." is one clause and the subject is JOB and the verb is WAS. However,
that's not the only clause. The second clause is "...what I imagined." Here, I is the subject and IMAGINED is the verb. Yes, this is a pretty short one,
but it's still a clause.

Now, are you putting all of this together? Do you see how THAN can be used correctly? It's correct because THAN is followed by the clause, "..what I
imagined." and NOT by a noun or pronoun which requires us to use FROM, not THAN, as seen in RULE #1.

2. Mary's performance was much different THAN she wished it had been.

Here, we have, not two, but three different clauses. "Mary's performance was much different..." is one clause. Another separate clause is "...she
wished...", and the third clause is " ...it had been."

Don't let a number of clauses throw you. Yes, there are three clauses in this sentence, but the only one we are concerned with is the one that follows
THAN. We can prove that THAN is correct because the subject ("she") and verb ("wished") follow it.

Okay. Now I need to add a little thought that, I hope, won't confuse you. Once again, our complicated language has all kinds of exceptions and variations to major rules, and if you keep this in mind, you'll understand, I think, why it was necessary for us to take a look at ...different THAN...as we just did. However...

you can actually use EITHER ONE of these phrases SOMETIMES, depending on the wording of a sentence, but ONLY if a clause follows the phrase and if the use of ...different FROM...produces awkwardness. Notice this example:

1. Music is much different today (from, than) what it was 100 years ago.

In a sentence like this, take your choice. Either FROM or THAN would be correct because a clause follows the phrase in question and we don't see any awkwardness with FROM in the sentence.

However...in a sentence like the following, we can see what happens sometimes when FROM doesn't work:

2. Neal's new home was much smaller (from, than) he wanted it to be.

Here, FROM doesn't make any sense. Surely you wouldn't say, "Neal's new home was much smaller FROM he wanted it to be." (You could, of course, add the word "what" after "smaller" and everything would change.) :-)

Okay, so this begs the question: What's the easiest way to keep all of this straight?

Answer: Just avoid using THAN. Use FROM and for all practical purposes, you'll be right nearly all the time. Anytime you have doubts, think of the suggestions offered here and use some good ole common sense when using FROM if it sounds awkward -- just use THAN if it comes before a clause (only).

Well, I hope this has been a help and, since it's about time to close up shop, let me wish y'all a wonderful week. Study your grammar rules,and keep the great ideas coming in. They will be the subjects of future lessons. Peace and Happiness, GG

23. Pronouns as Indirect Objects

2007-09-16T17:11:00.001-05:00

Hey, Y'all! I hope you've had a wonderful week and are as happy as a toad frog under the drip of a house. Around here in Columbus County, we finally got a little bit of rain, although it was NOT a fence lifter...more like a dry weather shower. Maybe soon...

Now back to some more lessons to help you with grammar problems. Today's focus is the third on pronouns used in the objective case, INDIRECT OBJECTS. Our first lesson discussed pronouns used as OBJECTS of PREPOSITIONS and last week's lesson discussed pronouns used as DIRECT OBJECTS.

But first, a quick review:

I hope you all now remember that objective case pronouns look like this:

ME...HIM...HER...US...THEM...WHOM...and WHOMEVER...

not...

I...HE...SHE...WE...THEY...WHO...and WHOEVER. These are called nominative case pronouns and we will look at them a little more closely soon.

Now, though, let's concentrate on objective pronouns since we have such a tough time with them.

In our last two lessons, we first reviewed pronouns used as OBJECTS OF PREPOSITIONS. Remember that the object of a preposition is part of a prepositional phrase. In the often mentioned sentence, "The airplane went _________ the cloud," many of the words that would fit into the blank are prepositions and all prepositions have an object. In this sentence, the object is "cloud". Hence, "_______the cloud" is the prepositional phrase. What we were concentrating on here, though, was NOT an object of a preposition as a NOUN, but one used as a PRONOUN. Here are some examples of prepositional phrases with pronouns as the objects:

...for ME (not I)...through Sherwood and HIM (not he)...at Becky and HER (not she), ...around the team and US (not we)...over the pitcher and THEM (not they)...

...and I can scarcely bear to mention this killer of English teacher sanity...between you and ME ( NOT I)..aargh...puh-leeze...NOT...!!!

Secondly, we also reviewed pronouns used as DIRECT OBJECTS. Direct objects answer "What?"or "Whom?" to the subject and verb and are nouns or pronouns. Here are some examples:

George threw the ball. George threw WHAT? "ball" is the answer, so "ball" is the direct object. Now this sentence uses a NOUN as the direct object, and this type of use is not difficult at all. It's when the PRONOUN is needed for a direct object... boy, oh, boy, do we have a problem! Here are some examples for you to peruse. Read on...

Martha joined Andrea and (I, me) at the crash up derby. Martha joined... WHOM? Andrea and ME (NOT I), because we must use the objective form of the pronoun when the word in question is used as a direct object, and that's exactly what it's doing here. Here's another:

We watched Kevin and (he, him) in the music video. We watched ...WHOM? Kevin and HIM (NOT he), because, again, we must use the objective form of the pronoun when the word in question is used as a direct object, and that's what we have here.

...So, now, all of this brings us to today's lesson. You will see just how important what you've already learned is when we begin this one, since it's imperative that you understand what a DIRECT OBJECT is in order to determine what an INDIRECT OBJECT is.

In its simplest definition, an INDIRECT OBJECT answers the question "to whom?" or "for whom?" to the subject and verb or "to what?" or "for what?" after an action verb. Only sentences with DIRECT OBJECTS can have an INDIRECT OBJECT. (However, interestingly enough, DIRECT OBJECTS don't require INDIRECT OBJECTS.) INDIRECT OBJECTS are usually nouns and pronouns and will ALWAYS come between the verb and the DIRECT OBJECT and NEVER after a preposition. Let's look at some examples:

Steve bought Judy and (I,me) some lunch.

Okay, how do we figure this one out? First, choose the subject and verb. Here, the subject is STEVE and the verb is BOUGHT. Next, check to see if there's a DIRECT OBJECT in the sentence by asking yourself the DIRECT OBJECT questions :

Steve bought...WHAT? or WHOM? Is there an answer? Yes, indeed...and that thing or person is LUNCH, which makes LUNCH the DIRECT OBJECT, and, which, by the way, is also a noun. (Incidentally, if you thought that the WHOM? question was answered by the compound JUDY AND ME, look at the sense of the sentence. How could Steve "buy" two people. Come on, Y'all, I don't think people are for sale! What he paid money for was LUNCH. He wasn't buying two people.)

Now, how do INDIRECT OBJECTS fit in? First, say the subject, verb, and DIRECT OBJECT to yourself and then ask the "to whom?'',"for whom?", "to what?", or "for what?" questions.

Steve (subject)...bought (verb)... WHAT? or WHOM?... lunch..TO WHOM? or FOR WHOM? etc. ...and, of course, you see that you have an answer.

Steve bought lunch FOR WHOM? The compound Judy and ME answers the question so ME becomes the INDIRECT OBJECT. Judy and I is wrong, wrong, wrong!!! Since the pronoun must be in objective case, ME must be used, NOT I. Remember that ME is objective case and I is nominative case.

Try a few on your own.

1. Engineers gave many students and (we, us) enough awards to fill a banquet hall.

2. Trish gives little Larry and (he, him) her full attention.

3. Stuart brought Polly and (she, her) a delicious piece of pig pickin' cake from the party.

4. Uncle Bill offered Walter and (I, me) another piece of watermelon.

5. Our church granted Lucas and (I, me) permission to use the Fellowship Hall Monday evening to organize a Scout meeting.

So, were these easy? I surely hope so. Here are the answers and why they are:

1. Engineers (subject) gave (verb)...WHAT? or WHOM?...awards...TO WHOM? FOR WHOM? (etc.)...students and US (NOT WE).

2. Trish (subject) gives (verb)...WHAT? or WHOM?... attention...TO WHOM? FOR WHOM? (etc.) ...Larry and HIM (NOT HE).

3. Stuart (subject)... brought (verb)...WHAT? or WHOM?...cake...TO WHOM?...FOR WHOM? (etc.)...Polly and HER (NOT SHE).

4. Uncle Bill (subject)...offered (verb)...WHAT? or WHOM?...watermelon...TO WHOM?...FOR WHOM? (etc.) Walter and ME (NOT I).

5. ...church (subject)...granted (verb)...WHAT? or WHOM?...permission...TO WHOM?...FOR WHOM? (etc.) Lucas and ME (NOT I).

Just remember that an INDIRECT OBJECT must have a DIRECT OBJECT to be in a sentence. If you'll ask the questions to determine both DIRECT and INDIRECT OBJECTS, choosing the correct pronoun will make you happier than a clam at high tide, because you'll know what to say--correctly!

Well, that's it for today, Everybody. Thanks for visiting and to many of you for passing on some good ideas for future lessons. There are lots of you out there greatly bothered by some of these grammar errors, and I'll do my best to address them all! Have a wonderful week and much happiness to you all, GG

22. Prounouns as Direct Objects

2007-09-10T14:02:00.001-05:00

Hey, Everbody! I hope you're all having a great week and that you're impressing your friends and family with your grammar know-how. Welcome back to a new lesson.

Today we will continue looking at the objective use of pronouns. Last time we discussed another very common mistake--using the wrong pronoun when the pronoun in question is the OBJECT of a PREPOSITION.

Today, we'll be taking a look at pronouns as something different, DIRECT OBJECTS.

First, however, let's review what a DIRECT OBJECT is. As we discussed in an earlier lesson, DIRECT OBJECTS are always nouns or pronouns and simply answer " What?" or "Whom?" to the subject and verb of a sentence.

Here's an example sentence:

Alvin watched the ship come in to shore.

In this sentence, ALVIN is the subject, and WATCHED is the verb. Next, all you need to do is ask the questions "What?" or "Whom?" If there is an answer, that noun or pronoun becomes the DIRECT OBJECT.

ALVIN WATCHED "What?" or "Whom?"... Ah, ha! There's NOT an answer to "Whom?", but there IS to "What?" and that answer is SHIP. It's also a noun, making SHIP the DIRECT OBJECT.

Let's try another:

Jan helped Mary Anne clear the table.

In this sentence, JAN is the subject, and HELPED is the verb. Now ask the "What?" or "Whom?" questions again. Once more, an answer will make the word a DIRECT OBJECT.

JAN WATCHED "What?" or "Whom?" ...Yes, indeed! MARY ANNE answers the question "Whom?" here and it's also a noun. Therefore, MARY ANNE becomes the DIRECT OBJECT.

Pretty easy, huh? I'm going to assume you are eagerly nodding "yes". However, in these two sentences, both of the DIRECT OBJECTS are NOUNS--not PRONOUNS...and this is where the problem comes in. Way too many times, we want to use the wrong case of pronouns, especially when a DIRECT OBJECT is compound in a sentence.

First, remember this: These are the objective case pronouns: ME...HIM...HER...US...THEM...WHOM...and WHOMEVER.

The subjective case pronouns that we often confuse with the objective case pronouns are these: I..HE...HER...WE...THEY...WHO...and WHOEVER. We'll study more about the subjective pronouns later. Just remember that, for now, we're concentrating on objective pronouns.

Here's, unfortunately, what we see and hear too much:

Bill joined Butch and I at the dinner table....Aargh! This use is dead wrong! Please notice why.

Pick out the subject and verb. BILL is the subject and JOINED is the verb. Now ask the DIRECT OBJECT questions.

BILL joined "What?" There's no answer.

Bill joined "Whom?" All right! Now we have an answer...the pronoun should be the answer (but is it I or ME?)

All you have to do now is remember that if the "What?"or "Whom?" question has an answer, use the objective form--ME, not I.

Of course, you can, once again, as stated last time, try the trick for leaving out the compound part. That is, read the sentence to yourself and leave out the "...and Butch" part. I surely hope you wouldn't say, "Bill joined I at the dinner table." Please make my day and say you would say, "Bill joined ME at the dinner table."

Now, try a few on your own.

1. The principal told Louise and (we, us) about the new attendance policy.

2. Our seniors nominated Martin and (I, me) for class treasurer.

3. Joe warned Stuart and (he,him) that playing hookey from school was about as dumb as trying to sneak daylight past a rooster.

4. Tom's tennis serve challenged Martin and (she, her).

5. Sandra likes Mary and (I,me) very much.

How did you do? In all of these sentences, the objective forms of the pronouns should be used, because all of them are used as DIRECT OBJECTS.

1. ...principal told...What? or Whom? US

2. ...seniors nominated...What? or Whom? ME
P
3. Joe warned...What? or Whom? HIM

4. ...serve challenged...What? or Whom? HER

5. Sandra likes...What? or Whom? ME

Okay, Everybody. I hope this has helped some. If you read the last lesson, I'm sure you're beginning to see a pattern with these objective forms. If so, that's great! This will help you apply your knowledge to other examples that may puzzle you.

Next time, we'll take a look at the final of three types of problems with objective case.

Thanks for visiting, and remember that I'd love to hear from you with suggestions for future topics. Have a great week. Peace and happiness, GG

21. Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions

2007-09-02T14:08:00.001-05:00

Hello, again, Friends, and welcome back to the Grammar Guide. Once again, I have heard another one of my colleagues mention a problem that bothers her, and one that is very annoying to me, as well. As a matter of fact, just this past week, I heard a TV commercial with the voice - over announcer saying, "This cereal is the very best for you and I." GRRRRR. What's going on here? Whatever happened to learning the little rule about omitting the "you and" and THEN reading the sentence to yourself? With this technique, you will naturally hear what the right answer should be!

All right. So let's give this frequently seen problem a look and see if we can clear up the confusion.

Technically, grammar rules tell us that the objective form of a pronoun is used as the object of a preposition. Now, the only problem with this is that if you don't remember what objective pronouns are or what the object of a preposition is, reading a rule like this is about as useful as a trap door on a rowboat.

So, first, let's take a look at objective pronouns. You will notice that there are only six of them that change form, depending on whether you need nominative
or objective case. YOU and IT don't change. (We'll get to nominative case later.)

ME..........HIM.........HER.........US.........THEM........ WHOM....... and...WHOMEVER.

These are the pronouns to use when the word in question is either a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition. (Notice how the word OBJECT is a part of each phrase.) Our focus today, however, is NOT on the direct object use or on the indirect object use, but only on the OBJECT of a PREPOSITION use since this one seems to give us the most trouble.

Now for those of you who have been regularly visiting the Grammar Guide, you may remember that we had a discussion already about prepositions in the second lesson, "Behind the Preposition AT". For a quick review, I'll just mention that old standard example sentence,

The airplane flew ____________ the cloud.

Many, many words that fit into the blank above are prepositions: over, between, under, in, through, around, at, to, toward, against, beside, etc. Simply put, prepositions show a relationship between words.

Now, what about prepositional PHRASES? One interesting thing to remember is that prepositions don't stand alone . (If you ever see a word such as those listed above standing alone, the word is NOT a preposition anymore--it has changed into an adverb. Example:

Come NEAR. Your perfume smells delicious! (NEAR is simply an adverb, telling WHERE, something adverbs do.)

This kind of use, however, doesn't happen nearly as much as one like this:

Come NEAR the STOVE and see how the butter beans taste. (Here, NEAR becomes the preposition and STOVE is the object. The entire phrase is called the prepositional phrase.)

Now that you know what prepositions and their phrases are, we'll move on to today's problem.

How do we determine which object of the preposition is correct when the objects are COMPOUND PRONOUNS? Example:

The note tacked on the door was for Kate and (I, me).

Notice that FOR precedes the compound parts: ... Kate and (I, me). This should be a clear signal to you that the correct answer is being used as the object of a preposition. That means we must use the objective case pronoun, so ME is the correct answer. (Remember the list above with the six correct objective pronouns?) Try another:

A terrible argument broke out BETWEEN Kim and (he, him). Again, BETWEEN is a preposition, so there's your signal that the correct word must be in objective case since the word in question is the object of the preposition. Hence, HIM is correct.

Try a few on your own:

1. The baseball flew over the head of the pitcher and (they, them).

2. Chicken bog is one of the best meals available according to our friends and (we, us).

3. For Pat, Elsie, and (she, her), this was a first at gigging frogs.

In sentence 1, OF is the signal word alerting you that you have a prepositional phrase with THEY or THEM as the object. The correct answer must, of course, be THEM since it is the objective form of the pronoun.

In sentence 2, ACCORDING TO is called a compound preposition, and works the same way a one- word preposition does, but if you notice the little word TO , you also have another signal that we have a prepositional phrase, requiring the objective form of the pronoun, US.

In sentence 3, FOR is the signal word alerting you that you have a prepositional phrase and its object is either SHE or HER. Since objects of prepositions can only be in objective case, HER is correct.

Finally, if all else fails, just do what I mentioned at the beginning of this lesson: Read the sentence to yourself (or silently think it through), saying each of the given possible answers alone without the compound part. For example:

The baseball flew over the head of THEM. (Leave out "...the pitcher and...") See how this sounds right?

Chicken bog is one of the best meals available according to US. (Leave out "... our friends and...")

For HER, this was her first time gigging frogs. (Leave out "...Pat, Elsie, and...)

While it is VERY true that we can't always listen to what SOUNDS right, this is one time when we can. Woo, Woo! Be thankful for small blessings :-)

So, that about does it for today. I hope this is all nice and clear to you and that you will never use the wrong pronoun again. Have a good week and many happy days to you. Peace and happiness. GG

20. Subject - Verb Agreement - Part III (Compound Subjects)

2007-08-26T17:11:00.001-05:00

Hello, all of you Grammar Stars. I hope you've had a great week and are now ready to tackle some more problems we have with Subject - Verb Agreement.

As stated in the first two lessons we did on this topic, it is very important that you know what the subject of a sentence is if you are trying to figure out which verb is correct. In those lessons, however, we only discussed SINGULAR subjects requiring SINGULAR verbs and PLURAL subjects requiring PLURAL verbs. Today we'll take a look at COMPOUND subjects and discuss how they can require either SINGULAR or PLURAL VERBS.

Quick Review:

Remember that the subject of a sentence is simply what or who the sentence is about and it (or they) will be a noun (s) or pronoun(s). Verbs simply tell something about the subject, show action, or indicate a state of being.

Now in our earlier examples, we tried to determine which verbs were correct in sentences such as these:

1. Johnny (love, loves) pig pickings more than anybody in Whiteville, I believe.

In this sentence, JOHNNY is who the sentence is about and it's a noun, so it's the subject. JOHNNY is also one person, so the subject is SINGULAR, which means that the verb must also be SINGULAR. Therefore, since LOVES is singular, LOVES is the correct verb to use.

2. The football players (is, are) hot when they practice outside in August.

Here, PLAYERS is who the sentence is about, and it's a noun, so it is, therefore, the subject. PLAYERS is also more than one person, so the subject is PLURAL this time, requiring a PLURAL verb. As a result, ARE is the correct verb since it is PLURAL.

Okay. So now let's add another facet of Subject - Verb Agreement.

What happens when the subject of a sentence is compound? Now I'm sure you know that the word COMPOUND means MORE THAN ONE. So... here we are referring to sentences that have two or more subjects joined by the little conjunction AND.

Here are some examples:

1. Oil AND natural gas ARE are the most common heating fuels in the United States.

The subjects of this sentence are the COMPOUND words OIL and GAS. Because we are speaking of two things joined by AND, we need to use the PLURAL form of the verb which is ARE, not IS.

2. Butch, Mack, and Paul SWIM in Lake Waccamaw every time they get a chance.

The subjects of this sentence are the COMPOUND words BUTCH, MACK, and PAUL, and since all three names joined by AND make up the subject and also make it PLURAL, the verb must also be PLURAL. Therefore, SWIM is the correct verb form because it is also PLURAL.

But what happens when COMPOUND subjects are joined not by AND, but by OR or NOR (often seen as NEITHER...NOR or EITHER...OR)? In this case, the verb agrees with the subject NEARER the verb.

Notice these examples:

3. Neither the son nor his parents SPEAK highly of their next door neighbor.

The COMPOUND subjects are SON or his PARENTS, but the first subject is singular (SON) and the second subject(PARENTS) is plural, What to do? Because the SECOND subject is PLURAL, the verb must also be PLURAL. Hence, (SPEAK, not SPEAKS, is correct.)

4. Either the Senators or the Governor usually ATTENDS official events in Raleigh.

This time we have the opposite example. The COMPOUND subjects are SENATORS or the GOVERNOR, but here the second subject(GOVERNOR)is SINGULAR. Even though the first subject is PLURAL (SENATORS), the correct verb is the SINGULAR verb ATTENDS because it must agree with the second subject, GOVERNOR.

For our final look at Compound Subjects, we'll discuss two little words and a word phrase that you should become very familiar with:

EACH...EVERY...and MANY A...

This rule is pretty straightforward, but lots of folks have trouble with it. Here's what you should remember:

Use a SINGULAR verb with any subject that is preceded by EACH, EVERY and MANY A. Just keep in mind one very important thing. No matter how many people, places, or things your subject is about, don't use a PLURAL verb if EACH, EVERY, or MANY A comes in front of the subject.

Here are some examples:

5. Each county in North Carolina HAS its own local government.

Yes, there are 100 counties in North Carolina, but because EACH precedes COUNTY (the subject), the SINGULAR verb must be used (HAS), not the PLURAL verb HAVE.

6. Many a person TRIES to dance, but not all enjoy it.

There may be millions of people who try this, but because MANY A precedes PERSON (the subject), the SINGULAR verb must be used (TRIES), not the PLURAL verb (TRY).

7. Every student in our school HOPES to graduate with his class.

There may be hundreds of students in this school, but because EVERY precedes STUDENT (the subject), the SINGULAR verb must be used (HOPES), not HOPE.

Well, there you have it! I hope all of this makes sense to you and that you're using the very best English you can. Drop me a line sometime and have a wonderful week. Peace and happiness, GG

19. Mispronounciation Madness- Part I (UNDOUBTEDLY and MRS.)

2007-08-18T17:12:00.002-05:00

Hey, all of you Grammar guys and gals once again! I hope you're all enjoying yourself and becoming better speakers and users of the Southern version of the language of our ancestors every day. Keep practicing on those rules that have given you trouble and soon you'll be impressing all of your friends.

Today, we'll take a look at a few words commonly heard around Columbus County that are mispronounced much TOO MUCH! If you've never heard them mispronounced, I'm going to guess you're new to our area. Never fear, the first time will come. Let's see if we can clear up the problems with just a little effort. These are easy.

1. The first one of these words is the word "UNDOUBTEDLY".

Now as you can see, the word ends with "...eDly", not "...eBly".

Here's a common way this word is used:

"Buster undoubteBly felt sick after eating five cat head biscuits with butter and molasses."

Obviously, you can see (and I hope hear) that the word is NOT undoubteBly, but undoubteDly.

If you've ever fallen into the trap of mispronouncing this one, PUH -- LEEZE say you won't ever do it again! If a poor English teacher hears it, he or she might have a major ear shut down.

2. The second of today's commonly mispronounced words is "MRS."

Lots of folks have no problem correctly pronouncing this, which should sound like this: "MIZ - IZ", or even "MIZ" as we Southerners like to shorten it. Both are correct. Really! Some, though, pronounce "MRS." as follows:

"MIZ - RIZ."

Oh, the horror! Please remember that the "R" is silent in this word, so MIZ-RIZ is NEVER correct!!

We hear this a lot. Here's a typical sentence where this error might appear:

"George was so ugly Mrs. Jones had to borrow a baby to take to church."

We just need to remember that we are not speaking of MIZ-RIZ Jones, but MIZ - IZ Jones.

Ok, Everyone -- and I hope this is all nice and cleared up. You won't make these errors again now, will you?

Have a wonderful week and much peace and happiness to you all. I'd love to hear from you! GG

18. The Irregardless Imposter

2007-08-12T13:43:00.002-05:00

Hey Y'all! I hope all of you are doing well and practicing becoming Grammar Stars.

Today's lesson will be nice and short! Some of the earlier ones I've done have been pretty lengthy but couldn't be helped, so I'm going to try to focus on some other rules that aren't so long. (Hey, I want you to come back!) We'll cover some of the ones needing more explanation eventually, but now for something brief... :-)

Have you ever heard anyone say something like this:

"Grace takes her orange pocketbook with her everywhere, IRREGARDLESS of the color of her clothes" ?

Whoa! This sentence is using a word that is not in our language--IRREGARDLESS.

The prefix IR and the suffix LESS are both negatives, so to use both of them in one word is to make the word a double negative. Remember when an earlier lesson discussed double negatives? At that time, you learned that using double negatives in a sentence is incorrect. We discussed the error in writing or saying such things as, "I don't have no reason to go outside when it's 105 degrees in the shade." In this sentence, using both DON'T and NO in the same sentence constitutes using double negatives, so, of course, this is an incorrect usage.

Now, while it's true that in the example sentence, IRREGARDLESS is not a SENTENCE with double negatives, but a WORD with double negatives, the rule still stands. Double negatives just aren't acceptable unless you mean to make the sentence or word positive, and I don't believe the first sentence means that Grace takes her orange pocketbook with her everywhere because she DOES care whether her clothes match her orange pocketbook. Likewise, the speaker in the second sentence surely doesn't actually mean that he DOES have a good reason to go outside when it's 105 degrees in the shade! Just think about what makes sense and you'll be fine.

Therefore, NEVER use the word IRREGARDLESS! There's just no such word in English!

Your sentences should sound (and look) like this:

REGARDLESS of the rain, Bobby jogs from the courthouse to the depot every morning... or...

Mrs. White sang louder and more off-key than anyone else in the church choir, REGARDLESS of the pained expressions on the faces of the congregation... or ...

REGARDLESS of being hungry enough to eat the south end of a north bound skunk, Henry waited on his sister to come to the table.

So, there you have it. Just never say or use IRREGARDLESS. Today's lesson is a shorty. How great it would be if all of our English rules could be this easy!
Have a great week and be happy. Peace, GG

17. The Annoying A Words--A LOT, ALL RIGHT, ASK

2007-08-05T14:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Grammar Bloggers once again! I hope you've had a great week and that you're continuing to work on improving any little grammar problems you may have had that we have covered. Practice and you'll soon be the grammar expert in your circle of friends. :-)

Because my last blog was pretty long (and couldn't be helped since LIE and LAY can be complicated), you're going to be able to enjoy a nice short lesson today. Nevertheless, "short" doesn't mean "unimportant". Mercifully, we do have some fairly short and to the point rules and today we'll take a look at three of them:

Three of the most common usage errors we often see deal with the words A LOT (not alot), ALL RIGHT (not alright), and the mispronunciation of ASK.

(1) Simply, there is no such word in our language as ALOT! Never! This error is a nonstandard form and should be avoided always. We do, however, see many, many people write A LOT as one word (alot) , but now you know that doing this is a major boo boo. When you mean a great number of things, use A LOT-- two separate words. Actually, A LOT is overused quite a bit and should be replaced with more specific information whenever possible.

Here's an example:
Ronald has helped his friends A LOT. (You're not seeing the two words together--separate them!)

However, the better sentence would be
Ronald has often helped his friends by sharing his tomatoes with them.

(2) Again, as with ALOT, the word ALRIGHT is a nonstandard form of English and should be deleted from your writing. This problem is seen everywhere-- in published books, newspapers, pamplets, and just about anywhere we see the written word . What are the editors of these publications thinking?

When you mean "everything is correct", use the two words separately--ALL RIGHT (not alright). Here are some examples:

We kids were ALL RIGHT. (Not alright)
Is it ALL RIGHT with you if we come directly? (Not alright)
I'm ALL RIGHT with watching that TV program. (Not alright)

(3) The final mistake has become increasingly common, although this one is strictly a pronunciation error -- saying AX/AXE for ASK.

Just turn on your TV or listen to people all over the place and you'll hear things such as

"Libby AXED him if he would lend her a pencil..." or

" Let me AXE her where she's going..."

Granted, it's probably easier to say AXE than ASK, but that doesn't mean you should do it. If we keep on AXING people the way we're doing it now, we're all going to end up a bunch of murderers on death row.

Well, that's it for today, Y'all! I hope you'll jump on this lesson like a hawk on a bitty. Enjoy your week and do let me hear from you when you need a grammar question answered. Peace and happiness to you all, GG

16. LIE or LAY--What Do You Say?

2007-07-29T16:32:00.001-05:00

Hey, Everybody! I hope you're all doing well and continuing to enjoy these long (hot) summer days. Thankfully, the frog strangler I hoped for last time finally appeared! Did we ever need it! More would be all right, too. :-)

Today's lesson will attempt to address a problem many grammarians say is the toughest one in our language and I'll have to say that I'm in complete agreement--at least my experience supports that. Let's see if we can get these verbs straight once and for all. There honestly is an easy way to figure it out and if you use this method, you should be fine and never make a mistake again.

The verbs LIE and LAY (and some of their forms) seem to give people trouble--big time! So what is the problem and why is this so? There are several possibilities and I'll go through them-- one step at a time--hoping things will be clarified for you.

First, let me remind you about something you already know: Verbs have many tenses and forms. What this means is that, depending on the tense, person, and number, verbs often change form. For example, in present tense, you know that the verb WALK would be conjugated the following way:

Singular
I walk (1st person)
you walk (2nd person)
he, she, it walks (3rd person)

Plural
we walk (1st person)
you walk (2nd person)
they walk (3rd person)

Here, only the 3rd person singular verb changes (S on the end of WALK) while the other five remain WALK. However, if you continued to conjugate this verb in past tense, future tense, etc., you would be adding "ed" and other words, such as SHALL, WILL, HAD, HAVE, and even ING in the progressive form. Now don't let this confuse you--only remember here that verbs change forms sometime!

Okay, so now let's take a look at the verb LIE. There are two very important things to remember about this verb:

(1) LIE (and all of its forms) means "to rest or to recline". This means not only people and animals, but anything.

A newspaper LIES on the floor. (not LAYS)
A coat LIES on the chair. (not LAYS)
A truck LIES on its side. (not LAYS)
The leaves (LIE) on the ground. (not LAY UNLESS you're using past tense)

See how many times you've heard (or said?) this incorrectly? When you're trying to decide whether to use LIE or LAY (or one of its forms), ask yourself, "What does the word in question --LIE or LAY--mean?" If it means" resting or reclining", then use LIE (1st and 2nd person singular or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person plural, present tense) , LIES (3rd person singular, present tense), LAY (past tense), or LYING (progressive form).

Right here, I have to interrupt this lesson to call something to your attention that may have contributed to your confusion with LIE. Did you notice that the past tense of LIE is LAY? This is not the same LAY as the next verb we're going to study. Unfortunately, LAY here is not only the past tense of LIE, but it's also another verb with completely different forms in number, person, and tense. AARGH!! If only our forefathers had "invented" another past tense word for LIE! No wonder this is so tough! Don't worry, though. Just keep in mind the first rule above and ask yourself what the verb in question means --"rest or recline". If "rest or recline" is what is meant in the sentence, then use a form of LIE.

(2) The other very important thing to remember about LIE (and all of its forms) is that there is no direct object following LIE in any of its forms.

Do you remember what direct objects are? They are simply nouns or pronouns that answer the questions "What?" or "Whom?" after the subject and verb in a sentence.

Here are some examples:

John threw the ball.

"John" is the subject and "threw" is the verb. Now say the subject and verb to yourself and then ask the questions "What?" or "Whom?". If you have an answer that is a noun or pronoun, then you have a direct object in the sentence.

John threw what? "Ball" is the answer and it's a noun, so "ball" is the direct object.

Now, notice this sentence:

Susie lies out in the sun every weekend.

"Susie" is the subject and "lies" (not lays) is the present tense form of the verb.

Why? Try the direct object test:

Susie lies what? This doesn't make sense -- there's no answer to that. Some folks might think the answer is that she wants to lie in the sun... but remember that the direct object must be a noun or pronoun--not a group of words as seen in this sentence. Also lying in the sun doesn't answer "What?" but "Where?"

Next, let's take a look at LAY. Fortunately, we don't seem to have quite as much trouble with LAY and its forms as we do with LIE and its forms, but problems do crop up sometimes, so we'll review this also. Just as it is true with LIE, there are two very important things to keep in mind about LAY:

(1) LAY (and all of its forms) means "to put or place" something. It always names the thing that is put somewhere.

Please LAY the book on the table. (Not LIE)
Did you LAY the strawberries on the counter. (Not LIE)
I'm LAYING your News Reporter here so you can read it. (Not LYING)
I LAID your jacket on the bed. (Not LAY)

Again, if you're in doubt about which form of LIE or LAY is correct, ask yourself what the word in question means in the sentence. If it means "putting or placing something", a form of LAY is correct, and the actual verb LAY should be used in 1st and 2nd person singular and 1st, 2nd and 3rd plural, present tense or one of its other forms, such as LAYS (3rd person singular, present tense), LAID (past tense) and LAYING (progressive form).

(2) LAY (and all of its forms) always takes a direct object. Remember to ask "what?" or "whom?" after saying the subject and verb and if you have a noun or pronoun answer, then a form of LAY is the correct verb to use. Notice this example:

Did you LAY the straw where I wanted it?

"You" is the subject and "Did lay" is the verb. Now try the direct object test.

You did lay "What?" or "Whom?" Yes! There's an answer to "what?" and that answer is "straw", so you'd be correct to use a form of LAY, which in this case is LAY (not LIE). Try one more:

She LAID the baby next to the kitten for the photograph.

"She" is the subject and "laid" is the verb. Again, try the direct object test.

She laid what or whom? Yes, once more, an answer! This time the answer is "baby", so using LAID (not LAY) is correct.

So how are you doing? Ready to try a few sentences on your own? Here goes...

(1) Lake Waccamaw (lies, lays) in the heart of Columbus County, NC.
(2) The leaves have (lain, laid) in their yard for months.
(3) We have been (lying, laying) on this beach for four hours.
(4) The mail (lay, laid) on the dining room table.
(5) Grandma (lay, laid) her cares aside after hearing the good news about her grandson.

I hope this wasn't too tough. Here are the answers and explanations.

(1) " lies" is correct because it it is a present tense form of the verb LIE and means (in this case) "resting or reclining." Now, this might sound strange, but remember that in this context, not only people and animals do this--everything else does, too. The other reason is that there is no direct object in this sentence. LAKE WACCAMAW LIES "what?" or "whom?" makes no sense. There is no answer to the question.

(2) "lain" is correct because it is the past participle form of the verb LIE and means "resting or reclining." Once again, there is no direct object in the sentence. LEAVES HAVE LAIN "what?" or "whom?" makes no sense. There is no answer.

(3) "lying" is correct because it is the present participle form of the verb LIE and means "resting or reclining," and, as before, there's no direct object in the sentence. WE HAVE BEEN LYING "what?" or "whom?" makes no sense. There's no answer.

(4) "lay" is correct because it is the past tense form of the verb LIE and means "resting or reclining," and, again, there is no direct object in the sentence. THE MAIL LAY "what?" or "whom?" makes no sense. There's also no answer to the question.

(5) "laid" is correct because it is the past participle form of LAY and means "putting or placing something," and there is (finally!) a direct object. GRANDMA LAID "what?" or "whom?" This time there is an answer--"cares."

Wow! This has been a long lesson, and I'll have to admit that I've been worried I might lose some of you, but in case you're still here, I hope things have been clarified somewhat.

Here's it all in a peanut shell:

(1) Use LIE and its forms when the meaning in the sentence is "resting or reclining" and there's NO direct object

(2) Use LAY and its forms when the meaning in the sentence is "putting or placing something" and there IS a direct object.

By the way, the verb LIE meaning "to tell an untruth or fib" has nothing to do with the LIE in this lesson. As a matter of fact, some of the principal parts of this LIE are also different. They are LIE, LYING, LIED, AND LIED.

Practice thinking about the rules we've looked at today and you'll have this down pat faster than a knife fight in a phone booth. Also, do me a big favor and remember that you don't LAY out to get a suntan, you LIE out to get one. It's true!! Let me know if another practice on these verbs would be helpful.

Take care this week and enjoy all the good things life has to offer. Peace and happiness, GG

15. The Fewer-Less Mess

2007-07-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

Hey, Grammar Bloggers! How are you all doing in this sizzling heat? What we need around here in Columbus County right now is a real frog strangler, but, so far, no luck.

Okay, to help pass the time today we'll take a look at a grammar problem suggested by one of my former English students (and a very good one at that!) who is also an English major. One of his pet peeves is the misuse of FEWER and LESS, especially seen in grocery store signs advertising items for sale, but most certainly not exclusively there.

So what is the problem with these two adjectives? It seems that FEWER and LESS are often used interchangeably when they should not be. Here's a very simple way to get this straight once and for all:

Simply put, FEWER should be used when you are referring to nouns that can be counted or that name a number of SEPARATE objects and are PLURAL. An example is shown here:

Buy FEWER apples than you did last week. (It would be easy to count the apples--whether there are two or twenty, so FEWER is correct. Also notice that apples are separate objects and they are referred to in the PLURAL form.)

LESS should be used when you are referring to nouns that cannot be counted easily or that name a WHOLE collection, quantity, or group and are referred to in the SINGULAR form. An example of this use is shown here:

We cooked LESS rice last night than we did the night before. (Here, counting the rice would be pretty hard to do. We are referring to a WHOLE "quantity" of rice and notice that the word RICE is SINGULAR.)

Pretty easy, huh? Let's see how well you do with the following sentences:

(1) The rent was (fewer, less) than $400.

(2) Grandpa tells (fewer, less) funny stories than Grandma.

(3) Our new neighborhood has (fewer, less) children than our old one had.

(4) My lawn has (fewer, less) weeds now than it had last summer.

(5) My new car cost me (fewer, less) money than my neighbor's car cost him.

The correct answers are

(1) less
(2) fewer
(3) fewer
(4) fewer
(5) less

In sentences 1 and 5, LESS is correct because the rent and money are being referred to as a group or quantity, and both nouns are SINGULAR.

In sentences 2,3, and 4 the opposite is happening. The stories, children, and weeds can be counted, (although it's true that it might be a little difficult to count the weeds--especially in my yard). Notice, though, that all three nouns are plural. Therefore, the correct answer is FEWER. This is a great way to double check the use if you have any questions.

Okay, I'm signing off for today. Enjoy your week and thanks a bunch for visiting. GG

14. The Wacky Wasn't - Weren't Error

2007-07-15T16:58:00.001-05:00

The Wacky Wasn't/Weren't Error

Hello, Everybody! I hope you've all had a great week and have been able to relax and enjoy the summertime. Have you noticed any grammar errors on signs, in newspapers, on TV, and from people you've heard speaking? I'd love to hear about them. (No names, please!) Maddeningly, for me, a day doesn't go by without some mistake rearing its ugly little head! Since I've been writing this blog, I'm amazed to hear from so many people that feel as I do. We can do better! And nearly everyone has pet peeves about our language. So...today's lesson will address one I used to hear in school all the time! I don't know if this is mainly a Columbus County boo-boo, but it surely is heard around here enough to belong to us.

Groan...What's up with the misuse of WASN'T and WEREN'T? Here's the kind of thing I've heard way too many times:

Lewis WEREN'T going to the lake today unless Ann went with him.

I WEREN'T the only one who failed that test.

It WEREN'T me who wrecked that car!

Now, please tell me that none of you would ever say anything like these examples!!

What's going on in these sentences is that one of the wrong past tense forms of the verb "to be" (WEREn't) is being used instead of the correct one (WASn't). By the way, for some reason, this problem doesn't seem to appear very much unless the negative part of these words--the n't--is added. ( For example, it's rare to hear someone say, "Lewis WERE going to the lake today unless Ann went with him." Whew...Thank goodness.) The verb "to be" is probably the most irregular verb in our language and we do have lots of different kinds of trouble with it. However, for now, we're going to focus only on this part of the problem.

This is all you need to know: Just remember that the use of WEREn't is only correct when it is used with 2nd person singular and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person plural subjects. Now for anyone out there who may have forgotten what this means, just think about conjugating verbs. Did you ever do that in school?

The conjugation of verbs simply means the arrangement of verbs by tenses, number, gender, case, etc. Here, we mean tense, number, and gender. If you've ever studied a foreign language, you've very likely been introduced to this, since being able to conjugate a verb can be an important part of learning the language. Nevertheless, if you haven't studied a new language, never fear...no problem. Let me show you.

Here's the conjugation of the verb TO BE in the past tense:

SINGULAR

I was (first person)

You were (second person)

He, She, It was (third person)

PLURAL

We were (first person)

You were (second person)

They were (third person)

Did you notice that WERE is shown only beside "You" (second person singular), "We" (first person plural), "You" (second person plural), and "They" (third person plural)? Now how does this relate to the three sentences above? In the conjugation, only PRONOUNS are used, but they "stand for" the subject that the verb agrees with in the sentence.

So...in the first sentence, "he" would stand for "Lewis." You can see that "he" is third person singular, so the correct verb is not WERE, but WAS. (Or WASN'T in this case.) Incidentally, this is the only time when the gender issue applies -- if a female or "it" is the subject, both would also use WAS.

In the second sentence, "I" (the pronoun) is actually used, so you can see above that only WASn't is correct (first person singular)

In the third sentence, "It" is, again, third person singular, so WASn't is correct. I must say here that this example sentence is not a good one at all because there is no antecedent for "It" in the sentence -- that is, there's no word that stands for "It." The sentence would be much more agreeable if it read "I'm not the one who wrecked that car," but because this error is heard so often in conversation, I have reluctantly included it. Try your best to avoid this type of weak sentence, but if you must say this, at least get the verb right! Use WASn't!! Thank you.

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks again for visiting. Peace and happiness, GG

13. The Bring/Take Confusion

2007-07-08T14:32:00.001-05:00

Hey, Y'all... Once again, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying those delicious veggies and fruits that are coming in from the garden right about now. There's nothing like our Southern corn, tomatoes, butter beans, field peas, strawberries, watermelons, blueberries, peaches, boiled peanuts, etc. Ah, joy!

Now, after that reminder that we live in a blessed locale, we'll tackle today's lesson. This one has been inspired by a former colleague of mine, another English teacher, who suggested that we address one of her pet grammar peeves heard all the time: The misuse of BRING and TAKE.

These two verbs shouldn't be much of a problem for any of you if you'll just keep a few thoughts in mind:

First, let's begin with the definition of each word. BRING simply means "motion TOWARD someone or some place." If you can associate COME with BRING, use BRING--COME to the picnic and BRING some fried chicken.

TAKE means "motion AWAY FROM someone or some place." If you can associate GO with TAKE, use TAKE -- GO home and TAKE your loud-mouthed friends with you.

In other words, just ask yourself which way something is moving. Is it COMING or GOING? If it's COMING, someone's BRINGING it. If it's GOING, someone's TAKING it.

Now sometimes you can get into a foggy area where you're not sure which one of these two verbs should be used. The best way to determine which word is correct depends on your perspective--on which end of the journey you're talking about, the ORIGIN or the DESTINATION. For example, say you have been invited to a friend's home for dinner. "What should I BRING?" you ask your friend. "BRING dessert," she answers. In this case, both you and your friend are speaking of the dessert at its point of DESTINATION. A few minutes later, you ask your brother, "What kind of dessert should I TAKE?" Your brother says, "TAKE peach cobbler." Now you are both speaking of the dessert from its point of ORIGIN.

For a little practice, try the following sentences to see how well you understand these rules:

1. In the afternoon Shirley Jo will (bring, take) the children to the exhibit.

2. (Bring, Take) your bathing suit with you to the beach.

3. Bill wanted his wife, Samantha, to (bring, take) him his bedroom shoes.

4. Samantha told him to (bring, take) them himself.

5. You should (bring, take) that extra watermelon to our next door neighbors.

Okay, I'm hoping this was pretty easy. Sentences number 1 and 5 should be TAKE. (Think "moving away from" or "going.")

Sentences 2,3,and 4 should be BRING. (Think "moving TOWARD" or "COMING TOWARD.")

So, how did you do? Pretty easy, I hope. The misuse of these two little verbs can be very annoying, so be careful and be sure you know which one is correct to use. Maybe if more of us use them correctly, we can influence others -- including some newscasters, speakers, and anyone else who (especially) speaks to us through the media.

See you next time and let me know about more of your pet grammar peeves. Meanwhile, enjoy the scrumptious bounty from our fields! Have a great week. GG

12. Hanging Around

2007-07-02T08:27:00.001-05:00

Hey, Y'all! I hope you're all enjoying your summer! While you're "hanging around" the beach, pool, or enjoying a vacation to some exotic locale, keep in mind today's topic--one that we seem to hear quite a bit. Which past tense verb is correct to use: HANGED or HUNG? This one really shouldn't be difficult at all if you'll just keep a couple of things in mind.

First, though, try these sentences to see if you know the difference between the two uses:

1. The criminal was (hanged, hung) at high noon.

2. The mourners (hanged, hung) a weath on the family's door.

3. The mob (hanged, hung) its enemy in effigy.

4. My boyfriend got mad and (hanged, hung) up on me.

5. Robert (hanged, hung) out with his friends all weekend.

So, how did you do? HANGED is correct in only two sentences: 1 and 3. HUNG is correct in 2, 4, and 5. Now, as you may know, the main problem we seem to have with these two past tense verbs is illustrated in the use of HANGED in sentences 1 and 3. We often misuse this verb and use HUNG instead.

Here's all you need to remember: The verb HANG has two correct past tenses: HANGED and HUNG. The only time you need to worry about using HANGED is when the sentence is referring to THE EXECUTION OF A PERSON OR PERSONS . When you use HUNG, you are generally referring to the placement or suspension of an object on a wall, ceiling, hook, or elsewhere.

Therefore, except at the gallows, HUNG is the correct past tense of HANG: He HUNG loose...HUNG out...HUNG around...HUNG laundry, etc.

I hope you see how easy this one is! Enjoy your week and thanks for visiting. GG

11. Signing Names and Names on Signs

2007-06-24T13:20:00.001-05:00

What's up, all you Grammar Bloggers? I hope you've all had a great week and are enjoying doing just what makes you happiest!

Our topic today addresses a question I received several weeks ago, and now I'm finally having a chance to respond.

How do you sign your family name on a Christmas card, sympathy card, birthday card, etc.? Should it simply be "The Browns" or "The Brown's"? Should it be "The Stocks" or "The Stocks'"? And what about signs or plaques you might want to place in your yard or on your house to identify your family name? Would this work the same way as signing a card?

This problem is actually pretty simple to overcome if you'll think it through. First, try to remember some of the things we've already discussed in this blog, and one of them is the apostrophe. Since apostrophes are a part of today's topic, perhaps a quick review of them would be helpful. The APOSTROPHE can be used two ways:

(1) to show the omission of a letter or letters:

cannot-can't, will not- won't, does not-doesn't, and many, many more.

Now, you can certainly see that using an apostrophe in "The Brown's" would make no sense in this context (on a card or sign). No words have been left out, and that's a clear indication that an apostrophe should not be used.

Another way APOSTROPHES are used is

(2) to show possession:

the trunk's size, Justin's camera, Shannon's art, Grace's dignity, and lots of others.

Here, by placing the apostrophe after the name and then before the "item" or "thing" being "possessed", you are indicating that this "item" or "thing" belongs to the person or thing. It is THIS part of the apostrophe rule that we'll need today.

Okay and now to today's topic. If you have a sign or plaque outside of your home that you want to use to identify your family, the correct thing to do is to have it printed the following way IF THE NAME DOES NOT SHOW POSSESSION (or a noun does not follow the family name on the sign ):

If your family name DOES NOT end in an S, simply add an S: The Smiths, The Bowers, The Wards, The Grays, The Crutchfields...(well, you get the idea). This is all you need. After all, you're probably indicating that more than one Smith lives in the home, so the name must be made plural by adding an S to the end. NO APOSTROPHES NEEDED! (If only one person lives in the home, however, the S would be a matter of personal choice as to whether the name should be singular or plural. For example, if a widow or widower lived alone in a home once occupied by his/her spouse and children, he or she might still prefer to maintain that a family of three, four, etc. once lived there. Perfectly okay!)

Now, if there is another noun AFTER the name on the sign, then using the S and THEN the apostrophe is correct. For example:

Welcome to the Turners' Home, ...the Powells' Cottage,...the Scotts' Home..., etc.

Remember that apostrophes in this use show possession--and that's exactly what you're saying. The Turners "possess" this home, etc.

Sometimes folks are confused about names that end in S. Again, if you're planning to have a sign or plaque outside your home and your name ends in S, just go right ahead and spell your name as you normally do. Then place an "es" after the s. The sign would simply say

The Stockses, The Hookses, The Markses, The Dickenses...and so on. Looks a little strange, but that's the rule. If you don't like this, you could just put Stocks, Hooks, Marks, and Dickens and leave off "The". Your choice.

If, however, you will be using the possessive form--such as placing a noun after the name ending with an S on a sign, then you'll have to do it differently. In this case, you would need to determine if the name has one or more syllables. If the name has only one syllable, then you would place an apostrophe and an S after the name. The name would look like this:

Welcome to the Stocks's Cottage..the Hooks's Home...the Marks's...etc.

If the name ending in S has two or more syllables, then you still place an apostrophe after the name, but omit the S. For example:

Welcome to the Dickenses' Home...the Lewises' Home...the Hankinses' Home...etc.

And, finally, what about signing those cards? It's close to the info. above. Just sign your name and make it plural by adding an S (if it doesn't already have an S on the end), such as The Princes, The Whites, the Halls, the Highs, etc. NO APOSTROPHES NEEDED!

If your name does end in an S, just place "es" on the end of the name. The number of syllables don't matter in this instance. For example, The Joneses, The Soleses, The Morrisses, etc. If you think your name sounds too strange written this way and, it's true--some sure do, just opt out to signing the card "The Walter Edmonds Family". Nothing's wrong with this way!

Well, another blog is ready for you! I hope this all makes sense. Please ask questions if you need a little more explanation.

Have a wonderful week and many wishes for to you for love, happiness, and peace. GG

10. Subject-Verb Agreement-Part II (Words Between Subjects and Verbs)

2007-06-17T16:03:00.001-05:00

Hey, Everybody, and I hope you're all enjoying summer and our Southern heat. Let's all give a shout-out to air conditioners! In today's blog, we'll go back to the topic introduced in our next-to-last blog on Subject-Verb Agreement. In that earlier blog, we discussed the importance of having subjects and verbs in sentences agree in number with each other. In other words, if the subject is singular, then the verb must also be singular. If the subject is plural, then the verb must also be plural. Simple enough, huh? Don't I wish!

Now, here is another one of the problems we seem to have with agreement when other words come between the subject and verb -- especially prepositional phrases.

*A quick review: Prepositional phrases are groups of words WITHOUT a subject and verb. These phrases contain a preposition, its objects, and any modifiers of the object in the phrase. Remember the earlier blog about our need to stop placing "at" on the end of sentences? As we discussed that blog, I gave you the little example sentence about the airplane going " ________ the cloud", and said that any word that fit into the blank was a preposition (over, under, into, through, at, near, etc.).

Now, notice the two words that followed the blank: "... the cloud." When you place an object with modifiers (adjectives and adverbs) after the preposition, you have a prepositional phrase.

Other examples of prepositional phrases include "in the house," "of the beach," "until the rooster crows," "between the winner and the loser," "at home," "in the bed," and many, many more. Sometimes, you may even see two or three prepositional phrases side by side: A thick fog swirled around me and over the top of the building.

In this sentence, there are THREE prepositional phrases: "around me," "over the top," and "of the building." It's very important that you can identify prepositional phrases since, generally, they DO NOT AFFECT THE NUMBER OF THE SUBJECT OF A SENTENCE. (We will discuss some exceptions later, but for now, just concentrate on these most common errors.) Many times, people try to make the verb agree with the object of the preposition and not with the subject. Another important thing to remember: Watch out for prepositions that look a little different from the standard prepositions mentioned above: "according to," "along with", "as well as", "together with," and "with." These are also prepositions, so be careful not to think their objects are the subjects in sentences.

Here are some examples to try:

(1) The lawyers in the public defender's office (has, have) excellent credentials.

The right answer is "have" because the subject of the sentence is "lawyers" -- a plural subject. Therefore, the verb must be plural, too. "Has" is singular. If you thought "office" was the subject, a singular noun, then you might have chosen the singular verb, "has", which is wrong. The object of the preposition "in" is "office," but it is not the subject.

(2)Religious ritual, as well as secular celebrations, (mark, marks) the change of seasons in many cultures.

Here, the right answer is "marks" because the subject of the sentence is "ritual" -- a singular subject. Therefore the verbs must be singular, too. The verb "mark" is plural. (Remember the weird fact that in English, we place an "s" on many VERBS to make them singular, and drop the "s" to make many VERBS plural? This is the opposite of how we make some NOUNS singular and plural.) The object of the preposition "as well as" is "celebrations," but it is not the subject.

(3) My sister Rachel's knowledge of teaching strategies (amaze, amazes) nearly everyone.

In this sentence, the subject is "knowledge," which is singular. As a result, the correct verb should be "amazes" -- also singular. By choosing "strategies" (plural) as the subject, you might think that "amaze" is the correct verb, but not so. Since "strategies" is the object of the preposition "of," it is not the subject.

A good idea: Practice searching for the SUBJECTS of sentences, and then determine if the subject is SINGULAR or PLURAL. If it is singular, then the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, then the verb must be plural. Actually, knowing the correct subjects and verbs of all sentences will pay off big time as you work toward being a Grammar Star! Many problems we deal with can be more easily managed if you know some of these very basic elements of grammar.

Thanks again for visiting and let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful (and cool) week! GG

9. The MYSELF Mistake

2007-06-10T13:10:00.001-05:00

Hey, y'all; I hope you've all had a happy, peaceful week.

I promised last time to do Part II of Subject-Verb Agreement, but, because I've heard another grammar problem so much lately, I've decided to postpone the Subject-Verb Part II lesson one more week and address another maddeningly common problem today.

What's up with the growing misuse of "Myself?" I don't recall seeing this problem nearly so much in the past as I see it now...and plenty of folks who should know better -- on TV, in movies, in speeches, etc. -- seem to have adopted this usage as the accepted and correct thing to say. Puh-leeze!! No way! Stay with me and I'll show you what I mean.

Here are examples of some common mistakes with "Myself:"

(1) Josh and MYSELF repaired the copy machine.
(2) Jane drove Sherry and MYSELF to the movies.
(3) The tomato garden was designed by Madison and MYSELF.

Okay, so why is the use of MYSELF wrong in these three sentences? The answer is that MYSELF is a REFLEXIVE PRONOUN, and REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS always refer to someone already mentioned previously or anticipated in the same sentence. An important word to know in this context is the word ANTECEDENT. In other words, the pronoun in question must have an antecedent in the same sentence if MYSELF is to be be used correctly. Also, these antecedents will be either a noun or pronoun. Generally speaking, most people who make this mistake aren't sure if they should use I or Me, so they avoid that confusion by choosing to use MYSELF, which, of course, is always wrong.

To clarify more, look at sentence #1. There is no antecedent for MYSELF. We know that Josh is mentioned, but who is MYSELF? There must be another noun or pronoun in the sentence that MYSELF stands for in order to use MYSELF, but there is not one. For this reason, the correct pronoun to use is "I". One possible example of a way to show how this WOULD work using MYSELF would be to say

I repaired the copy machine myself.

Now we have an antecedent for MYSELF -- "I" means the same thing as MYSELF, so MYSELF is correct (although the meaning has changed).

In Sentence #2, there is, again, no antecedent for MYSELF. Neither Jane nor Sherry means the same thing as MYSELF in that sentence, so MYSELF is wrong. The correct pronoun to use is ME. One possible way to write a similar sentence using MYSELF correctly would be to say something like

I drove Jane and Sherry to the movies MYSELF.

Now, again, we have an antecedent for MYSELF -- "I" means the same thing as MYSELF, so the correct answer is MYSELF. (Once more, the meaning is changed.)

In sentence #3, we once again have no antecedent for MYSELF. Certainly, Madison and MYSELF do not mean the same person in the context of the sentence. The correct answer is ME. Another similar sentence which, one more time, changes the meaning of the sentence could be

I MYSELF designed the tomato garden. (It's perfectly okay to have the subject pronoun and the reflexive pronouns together as in this sentence.)

Now, some of you are probably curious about the other reflexive pronouns that you studied in school Yes, there are others: ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself, and themselves. These pronouns, however, do not seem to give nearly as much trouble as MYSELF. Go figure. Anyway, they work essentially the same way the MYSELF pronoun works:

During the Boston Tea Party, the colonists disguised THEMSELVES as Indians. (Colonists=THEMSELVES)
Theseus HIMSELF found the way out of the maze. (Theseus=HIMSELF)
After the meal we brewed herbal tea for OURSELVES. (we=OURSELVES)
She wants to go by HERSELF. (She=HERSELF)
You call yourself a plumber? (You=YOURSELF)

Note: PLEASE NOTICE THAT YOU DO NOT SEE HISSELF OR THEIRSELVES IN THAT LIST ANYWHERE. THERE ARE NO SUCH (acceptable) WORDS IN OUR LANGUAGE!! If you've been in the habit of saying either of these last two, PLEASE try to erase them from your vocabulary and make us English teachers happy ! :-)

This lesson has focused on one aspect of pronouns, but, as you will see, pronouns, along with verbs, create probably more difficulties than any of the other six parts of speech put together! As a matter of fact, there are six different kinds of pronouns, and each is used in different ways and has different forms. What a language we have! Nevertheless, it's ours and we don't want to lose its versatility and beauty, so we'll plug away at the things that are a little more confusing and hope we'll master them all! Incidentally, some details about these reflexive pronouns that I have not gone into depth about include the importance of knowing parts of speech and pronoun case, but I think that with the above information, you will probably be just fine. We'll have to touch on some of these other things eventually, but, for now, I'm trying not to overload you too much.

Thanks so much for visiting again, and have a wonderful week. I love hearing from you, so do write.

Peace and much happiness, GG

8. Agreement of Subject and Verb-Part I (Number)

2007-06-03T14:41:00.001-05:00

Hey, all you Grammar Bloggers, and I hope you've had a great couple of weeks. It's good to be back after visiting family in Tennessee. It's especially good to get back where Columbus County Southern accents are the norm. There's nothing like home!

Today I've decided to tackle one of the toughest problems we have with our language: SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT. This difficulty stems, for one thing, from special circumstances where rules sometimes appear to be contradictory, and, other times, from one's inability to identify subjects and verbs in a sentence. Sometimes things can get pretty confusing, so I'm only going to present one type of problem at a time. Stay with me.

Ok. So what exactly is SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT? Let's start this way: What does the word AGREEMENT mean? In this context, Webster's says agreement means "being in harmony" or being "consistent,...fitting...similar". Now this is pretty clear, isn't it? When two people come to an agreement about something, they can be said to be in harmony or together in their thinking. In much the same way in our language, subjects and verbs must also agree.

Now keep this in mind as you think through SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT. In English grammar, we learn that every complete sentence has at least one subject and verb. If somehow, along the line, however, you have had trouble with identifying subjects and verbs, then it's not surprising that you may have had agreement trouble. Therefore, let's review subjects and verbs.

The SUBJECT of a sentence is the noun or pronoun the sentence is about. The VERB of a sentence expresses action, a condition, or a state of being.

Example: The courthouse looks very well to be as old as it is. (The sentence is about the courthouse, so "courthouse" is the SUBJECT. The condition of the courthouse "looks" very well..., so "looks" is the VERB.)

Example: Many musicians play bluegrass music. (The sentence is about musicians, so "musicians" is the SUBJECT. The action the musicians do is "play" bluegrass music, so "play" is the VERB.)

Ok. I'm now going to assume you're fine with identifying subjects and verbs. This brings us to the rule for the day.

THE SUBJECT AND VERB OF A SENTENCE MUST AGREE IN NUMBER.

"NUMBER" means singular and/or plural. Also, the SUBJECT determines which "NUMBER" is correct. In other words, if the subject is singular (one person or thing), then the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural (two or more persons or things), then the verb must be plural. This is absolutely critical to know, so be sure you know what the subject of a sentence is. We'll take a look at many sentences--some with very easy subjects to identify and others with pretty tough ones to identify. Don't worry, though. You'll get the hang of it after you've done a little practicing.

Another interesting thing to mention in this context is that in English, we place an "s" on many NOUNS to make them plural. (Example: one dog-two dogs, one river-five rivers, one car-ten cars, etc.) However, we drop the "s" on many VERBS in the third- person present tense singular to make them plural. (he, she, it) . (Example: he walks-they walk, she sings-we sing, Robert sleeps-children sleep) This becomes important when you find a subject in a sentence with an "s" on it. Yes, the subject is plural, but there should not be an "s" on one of these verbs. Doing this would make the verb singular, and the subject and verb would then, of course, not agree. Example

In the parking lot many cars (look, looks) as if they have just been washed for the graduation ceremony.

If you correctly identified "look" as the correct answer, you're exactly right! Even though the subject, "cars", is plural ("s" on the end), "looks" is wrong. The "s" on the end of "looks" makes it SINGULAR, not PLURAL, and, by now, you know that subjects and verbs MUST agree in number.

Now try a few more and let's see how well you do:

(1) Many English words (come, comes) from words in other languages.

(2) We (need, needs) encouragement and recognition for our efforts.

(3) Jake (plan, plans) to attend Summer School.

(4) Our Wolfpack mascot (go, goes) to all the games.

(5) Jennifer (stand, stands) taller than anyone else in our class.

How did you do? If you thought the following way, then you should be 100% correct:

(1) "Words" is the subject. It's plural, so because "come" is the plural verb, "come" is correct.

(2) "We" is the subject. It's plural, so because "need" is the plural verb, "need" is correct.

(3) "Jake" is the subject. It's singular, so because "plans" is the singular verb, "plans" is correct.

(4) "Mascot" is the subject. It's singular, so because "goes" is the singular verb, "goes" is correct.

(5) "Jennifer" is the subject. It's singular, so because "stands" is the singular verb, "stands" is correct.

I hope these were nice and easy for you. I'm sure many of you can "hear" the correct answer without determining what the subject of the sentence is. We naturally do this much of the time. Just be warned, however, that many times what we "hear" is wrong, so be sure to try the little test of determining what the subject is first, and then the correct verb will be obvious. This will come in handy when you try to figure out some of the more difficult agreement problems. We'll move on next time to work with some more of them.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week! Peace and happiness to all. GG

7. The FARTHER/FURTHER Facts

2007-05-13T14:18:00.002-05:00

The Farther/Further Facts

Hello, again, Grammar Bloggers, and I hope you're all having a great day! In honor of our recently celebrated Mother's Day, I have decided to focus on another common problem that's near and dear to my mom's heart: the misuse of the two adverbs, Farther and Further. She would very willingly do this blog for me since their misuse produces groans and mutterings questioning the competence of TV reporters, weather men, newscasters, and anyone else making such errors, but I'll try to "do you proud", Mom, and see if we can clear up some of this confusion. English teachers, unite!

Now, read the following sentences and see if you can determine which is the correct usage in each:

(1) How much (farther, further) do we need to go down Madison Street before we see the railroad track?

(2) Floyd told Rachel not to argue any (farther, further)--he would fix some boiled peanuts for her that very evening!

(3) Pat can go (farther, further) on a gallon of gasoline in her tractor than in her Honda.

(4) Walking any (farther, further) down this paved road is liable to put blisters on my bare feet.

(5) The merits of Eastern vs. Western North Carolina barbeque will be debated (farther, further) at our next meeting.

So, how did you do? In sentences 1, 3, and 4, FARTHER is the correct answer. This really won't be a hard one to remember if you just think of the "FAR" in FARTHER--think DISTANCE. When you use FARTHER, you should be referring to physical distance.

Of course, in the other two sentences--2 and 5-- the right answer should be FURTHER. When you use FURTHER, you should be thinking of it as meaning "ADDITIONAL" . FURTHER can also be used to refer to abstract ideas or to indicate a greater extent or degree. If, however, you just keep the "DISTANCE" and "ADDITIONAL"thoughts in mind, you should get along just fine.

I should mention that in spite of these generally (and grammatically correct) accepted explanations, there seems, once again, to the chagrin of grammarians everywhere, to be a trend toward using FURTHER when DISTANCE is implied. Webster's says that this may happen especially when FURTHER means DISTANCE in a spatial, metaphorical, or temporal sense--not in a literal sense. I wouldn't get tangled up in trying to decipher this, though. Just remember that the PREFERRED USE is

FARTHER=DISTANCE and

FURTHER=ADDITIONAL.

I hope this has helped some. Enjoy your week and feel free to make comments! Your ideas are a great help as I decide on topics. Warmest regards from my mom and me. GG

6. The Unnecessary S /'S

2007-05-07T08:50:00.001-05:00

Hey, Y'all, and I hope you're all doing well!

Our next lesson deals with a strange little usage seen around these parts I've been asked about several times, so I'll try to offer a little insight.

Why do we hear the letter S/'S added to words sometimes when it isn't necessary? Here are some prime examples:

Shannon is going to Wal-MartS/'S as soon as she finishes her art work. (Wal-Mart is just one store. Even though there are hundreds of Wal-Mart storeS, Shannon is visiting only one of them.)

The drive from Whiteville to DukeS/'S Hospital in Durham took so long that Stephanie was able to read five chapters of her book. (Duke is ONE hospital, so there's no need to put an S on the end.)

The KangarooS/'S gas station on Madison Street had the best gas prices in town last weekend. (Again, even though there are many Kangaroo gas stations, you are speaking of only one of them.)

This problem is likely related to the S or 'S added to many names of businesses: Dale's Seafood, Joe's Barbeque, Smith's Funeral Home, HillS Food Stores, Visionmasters Eye Care Services, etc. As you can see, sometimes just an S is used in the name, and sometimes an 'S is used. This, of course, raises other usage problems having do to with possession and plurals--topics we will take a look at in depth as this blog continues. For right now, though, just try to remember what the proper noun is for the business--does it say Wal-Mart or Wal Marts? The answer should help you determine which use is correct.

Thanks for visiting and have a great week! GG

5. Their, Theirs, There, There's or They're ?

2007-04-24T07:18:00.001-05:00

Hello grammar bloggers and welcome back for a new lesson on some of our most common grammar problems!

Today's focus is on the sometimes confusing use of their, theirs, there, there's, and they're. This is another problem we see all the time, so is there a way we can tell the difference between these homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings and spellings)?

The following limerick, courtesy of Patricia T. O'Connor in WOE IS I, may say it best:

THEY seem to have taken on airs.
THEY'RE ever so rude with THEIR stares.
THEY get THERE quite late,
THERE'S a hand in your plate,
And THEY'RE eating what's not even THEIRS.

Let's start with THEIR. THEIR is simply a possessive pronoun showing ownership.

THEIR new home is gorgeous!

Mike and Kathy gave THEIR old guitars to a neighborhood friend.

All senior should wear THEIR caps and gowns for graduation rehearsal.

In each of these examples, notice that a noun follows each use of THEIR: THEIR (new) home, THEIR (old) guitars, and THEIR caps and gowns. The adjectives in parentheses are just modifiers and don't affect the "ownership" of the pronoun. Remember that when you use THEIR, you're saying that THEIR "owns/possesses" the following noun. THERE WILL NOT BE A VERB FOLLOWING THEIR, such as "Their are three boxes of popcorn on the table". This is what we see WAY too much--PUH LEEZE!! (This should be "THERE are three boxes of popcorn...")

The next problem appears with the adverb THERE. All you need to remember is that THERE means "IN OR AT THAT PLACE" or answers "WHERE" to the subject and verb of the sentence.

Now, here is the correct way to write these sentences:

THERE is a mouse in our kitchen. (A mouse is where? There, in the kitchen...)

THERE will be a musical production at Southeastern Community College Sunday. (A musical production will be where? There, at SCC...)

There are many good reasons to live in Whiteville, NC. (Live where? There, in Whiteville, NC...)

As stated above, THERE in the above sentences all answer the question Where-- the most common use of THERE. Also notice that verbs follow THERE in all three sentences. If you keep this simple rule in mind, you should have no trouble using THERE correctly from now on.

Our third rule deals with the misuse of THEY'RE. This one is super simple if you'll just remember some former rules we've already gone over in this blog--that is, the use of an apostrophe when part of a word is left out. THEY'RE is nothing more than a contraction of THEY ARE. As we said with IT'S being a contraction of IT IS, just read the sentence and say to yourself THEY ARE in the place where you are thinking of writing it as THEY'RE. If it makes sense, then THEY'RE is correct. If it doesn't, don't use THEY'RE--use THEIR or THERE--or one of the others--whichever is correct. Here are some examples:

THEY'RE going to win the state championship. (THEY ARE sounds correct and it is!)

Did you know THEY'RE all wearing blue and white outfits on the last day of school? (THEY ARE, again, is correct.)

Strawberries are so good THEY'RE selling out as fast as we can produce them. (Once more, THEY ARE is the one to use.)

These three uses (their, there, or they're) are the most commonly seen errors of this type. However, there are two more (almost) homophones that should be mentioned since one is used in the above limerick: THEIRS. The other one is THERE'S.

THEIRS is simply the plural possessive form of they. The correct way to use this is in the following example:

The children's money is THEIRS alone. (NO APOSTROPHE IS NEEDED since no letters have been left out of the word. You certainly wouldn't say ...money is THEIR IS alone!)

And...

THERE'S, once again, uses an apostrophe to indicate a letter or word has been left out. THERE'S simply stands for THERE IS. The correct way to use this is seen in the following example:

THERE'S a letter for you on the table. (THERE IS a letter for you on the table IS Correct.)

See how easy this is? Keep this little rules in mind and you'll always be on top of your game.

Again, I love hearing from you, so let me know if you have preferences for some future blogs. Have a great week! Warmest regards, GG

4. Double Negatives and AIN'T Reviewed

2007-04-16T16:40:00.001-05:00

Hello, Everyone, and welcome back to take a look at a usage problem we hear WAY too much!

Some of the following examples were printed in various newspapers this past week--most from direct quotes of people being interviewed.

Can you identify what the errors are?

1. After he was laid off, Jim realized that he didn't need none of the luxuries he had once enjoyed.

2. I'm not bringing nothing in this room until I am good and ready.

3. He wasn't in no trouble noway.

4. There wasn't hardly no tea in the pitcher.

5. My sister thought it didn't make no sense for me to stay in bed half the day.

Some of these kinds of statements sound very familiar, don't they? Unfortunately, we are beginning to hear not only double negatives, but triple, quadruple, etc. negatives also. So, what is the rule, anyway? First, we need to explain NEGATIVE words:

Some common negative words in the English language are

no, not, never, none, nobody, nothing, nowhere, etc.

These same negatives are also often used as part of a contraction (a word containing an apostrophe indicating that at least one letter has been left out of the word).

Examples: isn't (is not), don't (do not), didn't (did not), wasn't (was not), can't (cannot), won't (will not), and many others.

NOTE: Now we all know that the contraction AIN'T is NOT an acceptable use of AM NOT, IS NOT, or ARE NOT, don't we? I agree that it may be strange that we can use all sorts of contractions (such as those above) that are perfectly acceptable standard English, so why can't we use AIN'T? The answer is that our language, once again, is constantly changing and inconsistent. Somewhere along the line, all of the other contractions have made it into the "acceptable standard English" category, but, for some reason, AIN'T has not. Stay tuned. It's used so much today that who knows? Maybe we'll live long enough to see this happen (much to the chagrin of English teachers like me and those who love the language the way it is now), but we'll just have to wait and see. (By the way, for those of you who argue that AIN'T is in the dictionary so it must be okay to use, let me remind you that there are many words in the dictionary that are not acceptable as standard English--they are non-standard forms. Actually, before the 1970's, it is true that dictionaries WERE the "bosses" of correct language. In the early 1960's, however, WEBSTER'S THIRD UNABRIDGED made some radical changes and started including every word in use at the time--standard or non-standard-- in their new editions. This, of course, infuriated plenty of people although Webster's DID include usage notes to clarify the questionable items. Nevertheless, please make me happy by NOT saying

You AIN'T heard nothing yet!. (Say ...You haven't heard anything yet!)
...or...
DoN'T bring me NO boiled peanuts unless they're good and juicy ! (Say...Don't bring me any boiled peanuts unless they're good and juicy!)

Okay, so back to the matter at hand. There are a few more negatives that you need to know. The following words are also negatives, although we sometimes forget some of these :

scarcely, hardly, barely

What this means is that not only do we have to watch out for the obvious negative words such as no, never, none, not, nobody, etc. but scarcely, hardly, and barely. Just remember NOT to use more than one of any of these in a sentence. Again, make me happy by NOT saying

I didN'Tt HARDLY know NOBODY at that church picnic. (Say..I knew hardly anybody at that church picnic...or...I knew almost nobody at that church picnic...or...I didn't know anybody at that church picnic.)
...or...
I AIN'T got NOTHING to wear today!. (Say...I don't have anything to wear today!...or ...I have nothing to wear today!.)
...or...
Butch caN'T HARDLY finish his chores before he's ready to sit down. (Say...Butch can hardly finish his chores...or...Butch can't finish his chores...)

This all brings us to a very simple rule:

AVOID USING MORE THAN ONE NEGATIVE IN A SENTENCE. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE SENTENCE IS NOT NEGATIVE ANYMORE. REMEMBER THAT TWO (OR MORE) NEGATIVES MAKE A POSITIVE.

For example, in sentence #1 above, if you say

...Jim realized he DIDN'T need NONE.. you are saying that he DID actually need the luxuries. This error can be corrected by saying ... Jim realized he needed NONE of the luxuries... or...Jim realized he DIDN'T need any of the luxuries...

In sentence #2 above, if you said

I'm NOT bringing NOTHING in this room... you are saying that you ARE bringing something into this room. This error can be corrected by saying...I'm bringing NOTHING in this room... or...I'm NOT bringing anything in this room...

In sentence #3 above, we have, not only two, but THREE negatives used! If you say

He wasN'T in NO trouble NO way...you are saying that he Was in trouble (big time!) This error can be corrected by saying...He wasN'T in any trouble anyway..or...He was in NO trouble anyway,,.

In sentence #4 above, we once again see the misuse of THREE negatives! If you say

There wasN'T HARDLY NO tea in the pitcher...you are saying that there WAS tea in the pitcher. This error can be corrected by saying...There was NO tea in the pitcher....or Tea was NOT(or wasN'T) in the pitcher...

In sentence #5, if you say

...it didN'T make NO sense... you are actually saying that it DID make sense. Just say, ...it made No sense...or...it didN'T make sense...

These sentences can probably be corrected other ways, also, but the bottom line is that you should avoid using more than one negative in a sentence. You have lots of ways to correct a sentence with this problem--just be sure your final product has only ONE NEGATIVE.

ANOTHER NOTE: You may ask why the rule doesn't say NEVER use more than one negative per sentence instead of AVOID using more than one negative Here's the reason: Sometimes you might intend a positive or lukewarm meaning:

Camille was NOT UNhappy with the results of her test.

The use of NOT and UNhappy says that while Camille wasn't UNhappy, she wasn't exactly overjoyed either. She also might be thrilled, depending on what you mean.

It also works to use double negatives if you're using a clause or phrase for emphasis or parallel structure;

The General shouted, "I will not retreat--NOT today, NOT tomorrow, NOT ever!)

And, finally, you may actually intend two negatives to be positive. How many of you remember Sara Lee's well known ad

"NObody doesN'T like Sara Lee!"? (This negative appearing statement actually means the opposite--that everybody likes Sara Lee!)

In conclusion, we once again see exceptions to the rules. However, I hope you can also see the logic in most of these exceptions.

Have a great week and do feel free to drop me a line. Warmest regards, GG

3. It Isn't Right to Use AIN'T

2007-04-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

Hi, Y'all (there's a wonderful use of a Southern contraction)!

We're back with a new lesson...one that isn't going to be very popular in our neck of the woods...but it needs to be addressed.

The topic is "It Isn't Right to Use AIN'T." (Now, I know almost everyone DOES, but that still doesn't make it standard English.)

The word "AIN'T" is frequently used as a "negative" word. What exactly do I mean by a word that is negative?

Well, some common negative words in the English language are

no, not, never, none, nobody

These same negatives are also often used as part of a contraction (a word containing an apostrophe indicating that at least one letter has been left out of the word).

Examples: isn't (is not), don't (do not), didn't (did not), wasn't (was not), can't (cannot), won't (will not), and many others.

NOTE: Now we all know that the contraction AIN'T is NOT an acceptable use of AM NOT, IS NOT, or ARE NOT, don't we? I agree that it may be strange that we can use all sorts of contractions (such as those above) that are perfectly acceptable standard English, so why can't we use AIN'T? The answer is that our language, once again, is constantly changing and inconsistent. Somewhere along the line, all of the other contractions have made it into the "acceptable standard English" category, but, for some reason, AIN'T has not. Stay tuned. It's used so much today that who knows? Maybe we'll live long enough to see this happen (much to the chagrin of English teachers like me and those who love the language the way it is now), but we'll just have to wait and see. (By the way, for those of you who argue that AIN'T is in the dictionary so it must be okay to use, let me remind you that there are many words in the dictionary that are not acceptable as standard English--they are just non-standard forms. Actually, before the 1970's, it is true that dictionaries WERE the "bosses" of correct language. In the early 1960's, however, WEBSTER'S THIRD UNABRIDGED made some radical changes and started including every word in use at the time--standard or non-standard-- in their new editions. This, of course infuriated plenty of people although Webster's DID include usage notes to clarify the questionable items. Nevertheless, please make me happy by NOT saying

You AIN'T heard nothing yet!. (Say ...You HAVEN'T heard anything yet!)...or...

I AIN'T eating my chicken bog today. (Say...I'M NOT eating my chicken bog today.)...or...

Ava AIN'T going with me to the race. (Say...Ava ISN'T going with me to the race.)

Next time, I'll expand on this problem with info about double negatives--another common usage problem and one that is seen combined with AIN'T in many of our sentences.

Have a wonderful week and do feel free to drop me your comments! GG

2....Behind the Preposition "At"

2007-04-01T15:34:00.001-05:00

Hello, Everyone! Wow, I've heard from many of you about this next problem. It seems this one has become so common that it's heard all over the place. When many of us were growing up, we were bound to be corrected by our English teachers, parents, ministers, and plenty of other adults if we said something such as, " Where's the ball AT?"

Before we could correct ourselves, we would hear, "It's behind the preposition AT," accompanied by many groans as we protested from under our breaths that we hadn't learned this rule yet.

Actually, there are some pretty funny stories about the misuse of this one and how there ARE some exceptions to the rule--another thing that makes our English language so difficult at times. How did all of this confusion begin?

Once upon a time, there was an eighteenth-century English clergyman named Robert Lowth who wrote the first grammar book and in which he proclaimed that

PREPOSITIONS SHOULD NEVER END A SENTENCE !

This antiquated rule was eventually addressed by the very famous Sir Winston Churchill. He was asked once whether there was ever a time when prepositions could be used to end a sentence, such as in the following sentence:

"This is the one which I cannot find the answer FOR."

Churchill then joked, "Overzealous grammarians are people whom I will not
put [up]."

Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it? Churchill loved making fun of this rule and constantly and deliberately wrote many sentences purposely ending them with a preposition rather than try to come up with a clumsy alternative. Obviously, saying "Overzealous grammarians are people whom I will not put up WITH," is perfectly good English and makes sense with no confusion. Of course, other options are possible, such as " I will not put up with overzealous grammarians."

Ok, then, why should we even worry about ANY prepositions ending sentences? The answer is that we have a constantly changing and living language that allows certain exceptions to older rules, most often due to constant usage. Modern English has evolved to the place today where, although some prepositions are fine to use for ending sentences, others are not( yet).

First, let's clarify exactly what a preposition is.

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to some other word in a sentence. Prepositions also express space, time, and other relationships in a sentence. If this still sounds a little confusing, try this trick to clarify what one is.

Here's the simple example sentence: The airplane went _________ the cloud. Think of all the words that would fit into the blank:

over, in, at, around, under, to, toward, into, through, below, against, across, from, beside, past, near, beneath, etc.

All of the above words would fit into the blank and make sense. This DOESN'T mean that every single preposition would do so--some would be a stretch.

Prepositions such as: from, about, like, since, until, without, etc. would sound a little strange in that sentence, but, I hope, you can see a kind of pattern with the types of words that are prepositions.

ONE NOTE: Prepositions are a part of something called prepositional phrases. This means that they do not "stand alone", but have an object (or noun or pronoun) with them. Many times they also contain one or more adjectives.

Examples: aboard the train, over the hill, under the bridge, until midnight, beneath ground, through traffic, etc.

This all brings us to what is still unacceptable TODAY as Standard English:

Don't say " Where's the car AT?" or "Where are you going TO?".
Say, "Where's the car?" or "Where are you going?"

Nevertheless, there's nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know where Whitley will end UP" or "That's the strangest movie I've ever run ACROSS."

Well, that's it for today, folks. I appreciate your comments. Have a great week and be a Grammar Star!

With warmest regards,
Grammar Guide

1. "It's/Its" Problem

2007-03-28T14:06:00.001-05:00

Hello, Grammar Bloggers, and welcome to our first lesson! First, let me say that I'm thrilled to get such a response to the Welcome message and hope you will continue to visit and share your ideas with me at this site. It's great to know there is such an interest in Southern vernacular and a "fierce" desire by many to maintain and cherish all parts of it. It's also great that so many of you would like to see us correct some of the grammar, usage, and mechanics errors that seem to stereotype us the wrong way. Thanks for your interest and I hope you'll enjoy the following lessons.

** Note: Being able to blog using this free site is great. However, we have formatting limitations; so for now - on our computers - we're not getting to use bold, italics, indenting, etc. Thanks for your patience and flexibility. We'll just use capitalized letters and other options (that may be less than ideal grammatically) unless/until we discover other ways to format.

_________________________________________________________

The "It's/Its" Problem

OK. What a time we seem to have with this one! People have trouble with these two little words constantly -- in writing, advertising, headlines -- you name it. It is, thankfully, one of the easiest ones to learn, though, and I hope I'll be able to clarify this for you once and all. First, try your hand at the following five sentences to see how well you do.

1. (Its, It's) high time we learned this rule.

2. After resting in the sun all morning, the cat licked (its, it's) paws.

3. Don't even think about eating that piece of cake -- (its, it's) mine!

4. Caitlin listened to the political speech but later said (its, it's) point was too
dull to remember.

5. (Its, It's) goal is to increase productivity by the year 2010.

*************************************************************

ANSWERS:

* Sentences 1 and 3 should be "it's."

WHY? "It's" simply is a contraction for 2 little words -- "it" and "is." When
you are wondering about which use is correct, just pretend that the apostrophe
is an "i." After all, it looks a lot like an "i" anyway. Read the sentence to
yourself and substitute "it is" for "it's." If the sentence makes sense, then
the correct form is "it's."

In sentence #1 above, if you read the sentence as it is written and try this
trick, you would read it as

It is high time we learned this rule.

Doing it this way should keep you from ever making this mistake again!

* Sentences 2, 4, and 5 should be "its" with NO apostrophe.

WHY? "Its" is simply a possessive pronoun. It shows ownership and is usually
followed by a noun.

Example:

its fur
its mayor
its speed
its taste
its look

In sentence #2 above, notice that "its" is followed by nouns in all 3 sentences:
"its" paws, "its" point, and "its" goal. Just remember that when the apostrophe
is inserted, you have actually inserted a verb -- "is", and there will not be a
verb after "its" showing ownership.

_________________________________________________________

How did you do? If this usage has always been a problem for you, just know you are in good company. The following is a headline from an otherwise respected newspaper:

USA Confirms That Seinfeld Is It's Favorite Show.

~ USA Today ~

AARGH!
You know better than this, don't you? Thanks so much for visiting and feel free to make comments. Have a great week!

Warm Regards,
Grammar Guide

Welcome!

2007-03-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to a new blog dedicated to helping anyone who has had questions about our wonderfully diverse and sometimes complicated language! This blog will focus on some of the most common errors seen and heard in Columbus County, including problems with grammar, usage, punctuation, pronunciation of words, spelling, and anything else related that gives us trouble. The blog's name is "Grammar Guide," yet the blog will often encompass more than just what you would find in a high school grammar book.

In no way is this an attempt to change our Southern ways of speaking--particularly since the writer of this blog believes strongly that we should maintain and cherish our Southern "drawls" and colloquialisms. This is one thing that makes us unique across the country, after all. Rather, this is an attempt to help us speak and write Standard English so, for one thing, we will not give the impression to others that we are uneducated or perhaps not as worthy of better jobs or of positions of authority in the world today.

Haven't we all cringed at seeing signs advertising products with such common errors as "Seafood at it's best" or hearing someone say, "I seen the movie last night."? You probably have many of your own "favorite" English errors yourself. If so, please send them in and they will be featured ASAP.

One last note--we all make mistakes from time to time, so don't be surprised to read about something you have been saying and didn't realize was an error. Sometimes we've heard and seen certain mistakes so often we just automatically absorb them without thinking. The writer of this blog makes errors, too, so if you notice one, don't hesitate to let me know. If what you say is correct, I'll make the appropriate change. If I disagree with you, I'll be polite and explain why.

Once again, welcome and thanks in advance for any suggestions!