This post might only appeal to you grammarians. . . or other slightly unusual people. Have you ever thought about the origination, history, and usage of the ampersand? Me either. But you can check out this visual guide to the ampersand to be enlightened! : )
With Christmas cards at the top of my to-do list, I thought I'd seize the opportunity for a little greeting card grammar and the use of plural surnames in signing cards. There seems to be a growing trend to add an apostrophe with an s to make a name plural, the Davenport's as an example of incorrect form. It's one of the great mysteries of life...my life anyway. (Apostrophes are reserved for showing possession or used when a letter(s) is absent from a word.)
We sign our cards "The Davenports" - adding an s to the end of our name.
But what about a surname that ends in an s or a z, such as Jones? The plural of Jones is Joneses - an es is added to the end of the name.
Then there are the names ending in sh or ch, such as Walsh or Church. To make them plural, add an es to the end, so they become the Walshes or the Churches.
It's really not difficult. Just forget the apostrophe...or opt for the use of first names. ; )
This is the last of the posts on pronouns...for a while anyway. Since their misuse is such a pet peeve of mine, I'll probably revisit the topic occasionally.
From Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips:
"It's a matter of politeness, not grammar, that leads people to put themselves last in a list. In the same way you hold a door open to let others walk through first, you should let everyone else go first in your sentences...Even when you're using the possessive pronoun my, you put yourself last in the list" (p. 146).
Example: Joel's and my car is in the shop.
Does the title sound strange to you? Probably. I know that phrase sounded so weird to me as a girl when my baton twirling instructor answered the phone and uttered those words. I had never heard anyone speak that way, but I just knew it must be correct, rather than saying, "This is me." I just didn't know why it is correct until years later. The traditional grammar rule states that when a linking verb is used in a sentence, it should be followed by a subject case pronoun. Remember the linking verbs: is, are, was were, be, being, been, and words such as appear and seem that describe a state of being. Here are some examples of correct pronoun usage:
"It was he who called."
"It is we who will go."
According to Grammar Girl, and my daughter, it is perfectly acceptable these days to not follow the traditional rule, because it sounds so stiff and unnatural. So, if you prefer to be casual, it's fine to say, "This is me." I find myself using both, but to this day, I still answer an inquiring phone call with, "This is she."
How do you know when to use a reflexive pronoun in a sentence? And what is a reflexive pronoun anyway? They include pronouns such as myself, himself, herself, yourself, itself, ourselves, and themselves. They are never used as subjects in sentences, only as objects. For example, obviously you wouldn't say, "Myself baked some cookies." But sometimes a reflexive pronoun is incorrectly used in a sentence with a compound subject, as in "Kate and myself baked some cookies." The sentence should read, "Kate and I baked some cookies."
There is also confusion about how to properly use reflexive pronouns as sentence objects. As an example, some might say, "Call Kate or myself to order cookies." You can determine that this is wrong simply by leaving Kate out of the sentence. It is then evident that "Call myself to order cookies" is wrong, and it should read "Call Kate or me to order cookies."
According to Grammar Girl, "The reflexive pronoun is the right choice when the subject is mentioned again in the sentence. For example, you can use myself when you are both the subject and the object of a sentence: 'I see myself playing maracas' or 'I'm going to treat myself to a mud bath.' In both of these cases you are the object of your own action, so myself is the right word to use" (pp. 143-144).
Since incorrect pronoun usage is probably my main grammar pet peeve, I'm going to address this topic over a few weeks. Let's begin with the basics:
Singular subject pronouns: you, I, he, she, it
Plural subject pronouns: you, we, they
Singular object pronouns: you, me, him, her, it
Plural object pronouns: you, us, them
The correct sentence uses subject pronouns in the subject and object pronouns in the object. That makes sense, right?
Example: "He and I are going to a movie tonight." Too often, though, we hear an object pronoun used in the subject, as in "Him and I are going to the movie tonight." The easy way to determine the correct pronouns is to consider which ones would be used if they were alone - such as "He is going to a movie tonight," not "Him is going to the movie tonight."
The same rules apply for object pronouns. Example: "Jesus died on the cross for you and me." We know this is correct by testing the use of each pronoun alone. It would be incorrect to say, "Jesus died on the cross for I."
Think way back to your grade school grammar lessons. Teachers often instructed us to never begin a sentence with a conjunction...words such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so (the FANBOYS), but I don't remember them explaining the reason for the rule. All I know is that I feared the stroke of the red ink pen, so I was a faithful follower for years. Somewhere along the way, though, I discovered that it's perfectly acceptable as an informal writing style, because it makes writing sound conversational. Beginning a sentence with a conjunction can also add emphasis to the sentence. What a liberating thought!
Possessives can be tricky, especially when a word ends with an s. There are two ways that are both equally acceptable for singular words - by adding an apostrophe or by adding an apostrophe s. We'll use my home state of Kansas as an example: Either Kansas' state flower is the sunflower, or Kansas's state flower is the sunflower would be correct. I personally like the first option, and so does my spell checker. There are a few exceptions to this rule though: classical names such as Zeus, Venus, Moses, and Jesus are made possessive by adding the apostrophe - no s.
The rule for plural words ending with s is to simply add the apostrophe to the end of the word, as in the boxes' destination. Plural words that don't end with an s, such as oxen, are made possessive by adding the apostrophe s - the oxen's yokes. I'm with Brian Regan...I think the plural of box should be boxen. ; )
Important Greeting Card Grammar from Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips:
"As you learned in the section 'Words That End with S,' you could go to Bob Jones' house or Bob Jones's house - both are correct. But what if you have a family? Bob, Amy, and their children are the Joneses. The possessive form of Joneses is Joneses'. If the Joneses invite people over for dinner, their invitation could read two different ways:
- Please come to the Joneses' house for dinner. (possessive)
- The Joneses invite you to dinner. (plural)"
Learn it...love it...live it. ; )
We might as well get this one out of the way. As I mentioned earlier, the misuse of apostrophes is one of my two main grammar pet peeves. I don't think a day goes by that I don't see a misused apostrophe - in signs, on t-shirts, in articles...they are everywhere!
According to Grammar Girl, "Apostrophes have two main uses in the English language: they stand in for something that's missing, and they can be used to make a word possessive. Apostrophes first showed up in the 1500s as a way to indicate omissions. Today, the most common place to find this kind of apostrophe is in contractions such as can't (for cannot), that's (for that is), and it's (for it is or it has)." Apostrophes can also be used to replace omitted letters in words to reflect a dialect, such as 'em for them.
One very common error is the use of apostrophes in dates, e.g. 1500's or 1970's. The correct way to write those dates is 1500s and 1970s, because nothing is omitted and no possession is indicated.
Another common error is the use of apostrophes in writing plural nouns, particularly proper nouns. In referring to more than one Smith, for example, it is incorrect to write Smith's. Again, since possession is not indicated, Smiths is correct.
We'll look at the correct use of apostrophes in possessive nouns next week. I can hardly wait! : )
It's amazing how quickly the weeks roll around during the summer. I guess it exemplifies the old adage that time flies when you're having fun! I realized it is Wednesday already, and I hadn't done the weekly grammar, so I placed a time limit on my backyard golf practice so I could get to this post...and I'm not even bitter.
I have to ask, does anyone remember being taught subjunctive verbs? I sure don't, but I did have a friend some years ago that gave me some subjunctive verb information to read. I thought that was rather odd at the time, until I realized she was just trying to be helpful...as I am now.
"A subjunctive verb is used to communicate feelings such as wishfulness, hopefulness, or imagination - things that aren't real or true. For example, in the song 'If I Were a Rich Man' Tevye is fantasizing about all the things he would do if he were rich. He's not rich, he's just imagining, so if I were is the correct statement. I were often follows the word if, because if usually means you are wishing or imagining. In a subjunctive sentence the verb is often also followed by a statement using wishful words like would or could. For example, again from Fiddler on the Roof, 'If I were a wealthy man...I wouldn't have to work hard." (Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips, p. 67)
And I apologize that the song is now stuck in your head. You might as well let loose with the choreography. ; )
Pronouns must be the most problematic part of grammar, at least they make my list of top five grammar rule violations...actually, top two. It's a toss-up between pronouns and the misuse of apostrophes in plurals. We'll get to that eventually, trust me.
Grammar Girl addresses the problem of using they as a single pronoun when writing about one unknown person. To explain, I'm using her example from pages 59 - 61 of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing:
How would you complete this sentence, "When a student succeeds, ___ should thank ____ teacher"?
he should thank his teacher
she should thank her teacher
he or she should thank his or her teacher
they should thank their teacher
The general rule is that you don't use a plural pronoun with a singular antecedent. Therefore, either combination of he/his or she/her would be correct, rather than using they/their. But some contend that, when speaking of an unknown person, using he or she is sexist, and using he or she is awkward.
Here's Grammar Girl's solution: "When I am confronted with this problem, I first take the Chicago [Manual of Style] route and ask if there is any way to avoid the problem. Usually this involves simply making the original noun plural. You could say, 'When students succeed, they should thank their teacher.' Sometimes more extensive writing is required, and if necessary, I'll do it. I would rewrite a whole paragraph if it meant I could avoid the problem. Rewriting is almost always possible, but if it isn't then you have to make a choice."
More pronoun problems will be addressed in the future - we've only just begun!
In case you weren't aware, we took a grammar vacation last week. I was more interested in developing my golf skills...and I sure wasn't concerned about perfect grammar while working on my drive. In fact, I remember making a lot of utterances that wouldn't even qualify as words! But, as far as I can tell, that's completely acceptable at the driving range. ;)
This week's grammar rule is about ending a sentence with a preposition, the words that create a relationship between other words and often deal with space and time, for example: above, by, around, before. According to Grammar Girl, "nearly all grammarians agree that it's fine to end sentences with prepositions, at least in some cases."
Here are two examples of sentences that can end with a preposition (taken from Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips):
1. I hope he cheers up. The sentence doesn't have the same meaning if you leave off the preposition ("I hope he cheers.").
2. What did you step on? Again, the sentence wouldn't make sense if you left off the preposition ("What did you step?"). Hard-core grammarians would counter with the correct sentence structure being "On what did you step?" Grammar Girl claims that nobody in their right mind talks that way...which might explain why I've had that as a secret goal for quite some time.
There are times, though, when it is clearly wrong to end sentences with a preposition. Grammar Girl's general rule is: "When you could leave off the preposition and it wouldn't change the meaning, you should leave it off." Here is her example:
Where is she at? Are you cringing? "Where is she?" means the same thing and sounds so much better!
Another very common grammar mistake is the use of lay instead of lie, as in "I'm going to lay down." Lay means "to place" and requires a direct object, something that is being placed. Example: "Lay your pencil down." Lie means "to recline," so it would be correct to say, "I'm going to lie down."
That part is fairly easy to remember, but it gets more complicated when you consider the past tenses of the words. The past tense of lay (to place) is laid. "He laid his pencil down." But the past tense of lie is not laid, it is lay. So instead of saying, "I laid down for a nap this afternoon," I would say, "I lay down for a nap this afternoon." That might sound awkward initially, but a little practice will make a difference. : )
This grammar violation seems to sneak up on us - the misuse of the contraction there's. Think how often you hear people say something like, "There's five seniors on the team." You would never say, "There is five seniors on the team," would you? (Please say no.) Instead of inadvertently using the contraction there's in this context, consider the correct linking verb, and say, "There are five seniors on the team." You'll be a better person for it. ;)
I'm glad to finally have this grammar rule cleared up! How do you know when to use that or which in a sentence? Does it really make any difference? Yes, and it's not difficult, as long as you can identify a restrictive clause. I'm going to borrow the example in the book Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing:
Gems that sparkle often elicit forgiveness.
"The words that sparkle restrict the kind of gems you're talking about. Without them, the meaning of the sentence would change. Without them, you would be saying that all gems elicit forgiveness, not just the gems that sparkle." (p. 42)
A non-restrictive element in a sentence is additional information that can be eliminated without changing the meaning of the sentence. Again, I'll use the example in the book:
Diamonds, which are expensive, often elicit forgiveness.
"Leaving out the words which are expensive doesn't change the meaning of the sentence. Also note that the phrase is surrounded by commas." (p. 43)
Interchanging the two words farther and further is a common grammatical error, but the correct use of each word is not difficult to discern. The tip is the far in farther, indicating physical distance. I would say, "I walked farther today than yesterday." To say, "I walked further" would be incorrect, because further is used when referring to figurative distance. For example, "There is no need for further discussion."
Since my golf lesson got rained out and I have no place to go, here's a bonus grammar tip on the correct use less or fewer. Use fewer to modify anything that can be counted, e.g. fewer children, fewer cookies. Use less to modify anything that is a mass or can't be counted, e.g. less rain, less sleep.
Did anyone notice that I am a day late with this week's grammar tip? Sure you did. I was busy last evening with my first golf lesson. Yep, it's time to get started on my "bucket list," and learning to play golf happens to be up first. The goal is to have an understanding of the game, so that I won't embarrass Joel on the course...like I embarrassed myself last night. I pulled out the driver when I was supposed to get the putter. (I attribute it to first lesson jitters. I really do know the difference...really!) The instructor was kind enough not to laugh. It was a great time, and I'm looking forward to next week, when I'll actually get to use that driver.
Now for the grammar tip:
Many people misuse the abbreviations for Latin terms, i.e. and e.g. I.e. stands for id est, meaning "that is." E.g. stand for exempli gratia meaning "for example." A memory trick for remembering the correct usage is to think of i.e. (beginning with i) as meaning "in other words," and e.g. (beginning with e), as meaning "for example." I.e. introduces a clarification, while e.g. introduces an example.
Examples:
The children love outdoor activities, e.g., biking and swimming. (for example)
I have lived in three states, i.e., Kansas, Texas, and Michigan. (clarification)
How do you feel, bad or badly? That depends on what you are trying to say. If your fingers are numb, affecting the sensitivity of your touch, you would say, "I feel badly." If you are ill, you would say, "I feel bad." Badly is an adverb that modifies the action verb feel; whereas, bad is an adjective that modifies the pronoun I.
Quick tip to remember:
Adjectives follow linking verbs.
Adverbs modify action verbs.
