Clearing up Confusion
Who is the man with whom you were laughing? Who is the subjective or nominative case of the word; in plain English, who acts as a subject or predicate nominative…most of the time. I don’t know who you are. Who steals my purse steals trash. Whom is objective case; that is, it must be an […]
Toward? Towards? The British Bug Bites Again
An urgent request for help has just been received at Grammar Grotto, and the Guru is ready to help. The question is “I’ve written a poem, and one of the lines is …’she is floating toward him.’ Is it toward or towards?” And the definitive answer is {drum roll, please} either one! That’s really helpful, […]
If I Eat More Than You, Then I Will Be Fat.
I have been asked to explain the difference between the words then and than. Really, I have never understood the confusion between the two, as they bear no resemblance to one another, not even in pronunciation. But I, too, have seen a disconcerting number of cases where the two have been confused. So, an explanation. […]
Take a Breath! Breathe, Breathe, Breathe!
breath, breathe: This one is simple, but it’s a very common mistake. Breath (breth with a soft /th/ sound) is the noun: I need to catch my breath. Take a deep breath and cough. Breathe (/breeeeeth/ with a hard /th/ sound) is the verb: Breathe in and out slowly, please. Don’t breathe the chlorine fumes. […]
The Grammar Guru Butts in and Corrects Everyone
I refuse to start pointing fingers or editing everyone’s blogs — I don’t have the time or the inclination to cultivate rabid enemies. But there are a few words that need to be defined so that we don’t keep using the wrong word and making ourselves look silly. Those in the know will notice that […]
Where Did That Preposition Get To?
I think it was Winston Churchill who said, in response to a misguided editor’s rearranging his words so that a sentence would not end with a preposition, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.” [Sometimes quoted as “arrant nonsense…,” which I think is eminently better.] The point is that […]
Comma, Comma, Who’s Got the Comma?
Commas can be confusing, especially as there are divergent opinions on some uses. Being the old-fashioned type, I’m going to give you only one set of rules, leaving the least chance of misapprehension of your writing. Commas are used to signal a pause in thought or to set off a phrase or clause (either for […]
We Interrupt This Series to Explain the Difference Between Two Words….
I know what I said was going to be next, but I just ran across three instances of confusion in the use of between and among. So I’m going to interrupt myself and quickly explain this simple problem. Between is used only when you are dealing with two objects, people, or places. Among is used […]
That vs. Who
The Grammar Guru’s pet peeve: “people that.” This rule is simple: A person is always a who, never a that. Despite its simplicity, this is one of the most often violated rules of grammar. I have seen this error in many well-respected publications. Part of the problem is that authorities are divided, and have been […]
Can You Cite the Site Where You Lost Your Sight?
The “site” trio seems to be causing some confusion nowadays, probably as a result of the “shorthand” used by instant messagers. This is another simple problem to unravel. A site (noun) is a place — virtual or actual — like a construction site or a website. To cite (verb) something is to quote from it or […]