And I Wondered: Is It All Right to Start My Sentence That Way?
An erudite reader has asked my opinion on the permissibility of beginning a sentence with a conjunction. This is an interesting case, as it’s one of the few times when I will tell you that your high school grammar teacher was wrong: It is not always wrong to start a sentence with and, but, or […]
Subject — Verb Agreement
It’s important, even in a casual writing forum like a blog. And as I have seen not one or two, but literally dozens of violations of this basic grammar rule on the blogging site that I frequent, I’m going to give you the lowdown on SVA. Nouns are either singular or plural. (Or collective…I’ll get […]
Every Beach Was Crowded, and Each of Us Drank Something Different
When to use each; when to use every. Sometimes it’s hard to know for sure. I hope these guidelines are helpful. Each is a singular word that may be used as a pronoun, adverb, or adjective. When functioning as a noun, it always takes a singular verb. Examples: as a pronoun: Each of the girls has a […]
Lay Your Book Down and Lie Down for a Rest! I Want to Tell You Something.
If it’s hard to read your computer screen lying down, then you may sit up, but please pay attention! The Grammar Guru is having a cow. I’ve been surfing a bit this morning, and I am appalled by the writers, professional and non, who do not understand how to use the verbs lay and lie. […]