Don’t worry. I hated grade school grammar as much as the next guy. Still, as a magazine editor and, later, as a freelance book editor and (now) literary agent, I have come across far too many grammatical and usage mistakes in writing submitted to me. Not all of us can be Strunk or White (though every writer should own their valuable book, The Elements of Style). But we can profit from a little attention to the most common trouble spots:
- It’s and its. It’s (with an apostrophe) always means “it is,” and its is the possessive form of it (“its jaws gaped”). This is easy to remember; the apostrophe indicates a contraction, so remember what it contracts.
- Affect and effect. Affect is always a verb meaning to “cause a response” or to “pretend or assume a manner.” Effect can be a noun (a result or accomplishment) or a verb meaning “to bring about” (“the new manager will effect many changes”).
- Was and were. Of course it’s I was/you were/we were. But a problem usually arises between the subjunctive and indicative moods (yeah, I don’t know what that means, either). I’ll let Harry Shaw explain, in his Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions: “Use were (the subjunctive), not was (the indicative), in such sentences as: ‘Suppose he were to arrive now’ (supposition). ‘He drank ale as if it were going to be prohibited forever’ (an improbable condition). ‘Roberta wishes that she were going to be invited’ (desire).” I wish it were a little easier, but there it is.
- Possessive forms. With the exception of Jesus’ and (sometimes) Moses’, when a singular noun ends in “s,” add ’s (Charles’s friend, Burns’s poems).
- Agreement between nouns and pronouns. One of the most common usage errors I see is the use of a plural pronoun which has a singular antecedent (e.g., “If the customer insists on a refund, they should be given one” should be: “If the customer insists on a refund, he or she should be given one” or “If customers insist on refunds, they should be given them”). I know, some people say that “the customer/they” is okay nowadays, but they are wrong. All of them.
- Subject/verb agreement. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular—no matter how many words are between them. Strunk and White use the example: “The bittersweet flavor of youth—its trials, its joys, its adventures, its challenges—is not soon forgotten.” Just take out the interrupting phrase and the correct word becomes clear.
- A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence. For example, “Walking slowly down the road, a tree loomed in front of him” should be changed to something like “Walking slowly down the road, he saw a tree looming in front of him.” The participial phrase should be related clearly to its subject.
- Parallelism. The sentence, “My objections are, first, the injustice of the measure; second, that it is unconstitutional” should become “My objections are, first, that the measure is unjust; second, that it is unconstitutional” (Strunk,p. 28). Or “My objections are, first, the injustice of the measure; second, its unconstitutionality.” Yeah, Strunk’s version is better.
- The word only. The placement of the word only is often a danger spot. For example, in the sentence, “I only wanted an ice cream cone,” the word modifies wanted. It indicates that I didn’t need an ice cream cone; I only wanted it. But the sentence, “I wanted only an ice cream cone” (with only modifying ice cream cone) indicates that I didn’t want more than an ice cream cone—certainly not an ice cream cone and a float as well. In the sentence, “Only I wanted an ice cream cone,” only modifies the word I. Thus, the sentence indicates that only I—no one else—wanted an ice cream cone. If only people would keep this straight.
- Accept and except. Accept means “receive” or “agree with” (“I accept your proposal”). As a verb, except means to omit or exclude (“We’ve been excepted from the list”); as a preposition, it means “other than” (“Everyone except me knew the answer”). Except should never be a conjunction (“I won’t go except you go, too”), except in dialogue.
- Alright and All right. Alright is not a word. It is not all right to use alright. All right?
- Feel and think. Current usage often uses “feel” rather than “think” (as in, “I feel our president is doing a good job”). However, they are not interchangeable. Feel indicates emotion, think suggests reason (“I feel grateful to have you as my mentor, because I think you have a lot to teach me”).
- Imply and infer. Shaw writes, “To imply is to suggest a meaning only hinted at, not explicitly stated. To infer is to draw a conclusion from statements, evidence, or circumstances.” Speakers imply; listeners (or observers) infer.
- Lie and lay. To quote “Dear Abby,” “To ‘lay’ means to set or put; to ‘lie’ means to recline. Remember, chickens lay eggs. People lie down.” So it’s “lie/lay/lain/lying,” and “lay/ laid/laid/laying.” I ain’t lying.
- Fewer and less. Can you count the items you’re writing about? If so, use “fewer.” If the quantity is not countable (referring to volume rather than number), use “less.” For example, you can have fewer ingredients, coins, or puppies, but less water, money, or love.
- “One of the only.” I must conclude with a pet peeve of mine. Strictly speaking, “only” means just one in number. So, when you write, “It was one of the only times I felt that way,” you should write, “one of the few times.” Unless you mean there were no other times, in which case you should write, “It was the only time I felt that way.” This is the only time I’m going to say this.
Thanks for these reminders, Bob. Even when we think we know the rules, it’s good to check our writing. I submitted an article to a reputable writing magazine once and the editor pointed out a ‘they’re’ that should have been ‘their.’ I was blushing but happy he still accepted the article! 🙂
Thanks for this post, Bob! There are so many grammar “potholes” we writers need to be aware of. That’s why I wrote “Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors,” which includes most of the topics you posted about plus many similar things writers struggle with–including an extensive section on punctuation. 🙂
A couple of things I’d point out on your list, though:
1. “It’s” does not always means “it is.” It can also mean “It has,” as in “It’s been a long time since I saw a really good post about grammar rules.”
2. The Chicago Manual of Style and The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style used to recommend leaving the “s” off the possessive form of Jesus and Moses (although each manual gave a different reason). Now they both say the “s” should be there.
Seeing “alright” makes me crazy too. Yeah, I know Webster’s includes it, but that’s because they reflect how people use words, not just the correct usage. My biggest pet peeve: Webster’s now shows two definitions for the word “literally”–and they are diametric opposites! The misuse of “literally” makes me figuratively insane.
Thanks for caring about the proper use of words, Bob!
I have your book, Kathy, and it’s worth every penny it costs!
Thanks for the post! Here’s one more that makes me cringe: Using the word “hearty” when the writer means “hardy.” A “hardy” pioneer is capable of enduring fatigue, hardship, exposure, etc. A “hearty” pioneer is warm-hearted, affectionate, etc.
I just read “hearty” today in a book description referring to immigrants. Grrr. Maybe they were hearty, but more likely they were hardy.
I agree with you on alright vs. all right! That’s another cringe-worthy error. All right is all right!
Alleluia and amen, Bob. I wish my writing students could read your blog. Perhaps I will just suggest it to them!
#9 pet peeve!! and #14 – i defer to the British turn of phrase, “I’m going to have a lie down!”
Could we add “that and who” to the list? Is it correct to say people who wear green hats also wear green gloves or should it be people that wear green hats. It drives me crazy because to me, ‘who’ sounds much better than what.
Superb article! One easier way to remember/explain subjunctive vs. indicative: indicative = reality and subjunctive = not reality. Of course, that opens the door for a terribly non-grammar-related metaphysical discussion, but it’s a nice simplification.
Two more!
Farther/further: if it is a literal distance, use farther. (I always have to remember “far” for distance.) If it is something intangible, use “further.”
Also, assure/ensure/insure.
To assure is to actually say, “I promise, this will happen.”
To ensure is to literally make sure it does happen.
To insure is to take out insurance in case it happens all wrong.
Thanks for this great list!
For several of these of these items, your rules appear to conflict with acceptable (and even preferable) guidelines stated by the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition), the Merriam Webster dictionary, and sources like Bryan Garner’s Modern American Usage. Those authorities seem to take a more realistic and less rigid and legalistic approach to grammar.
My pet peeve: the use of I and me, especially in a compound either in nominative or objective case. Touch on that sometime.