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anonymous Some Sticky Grammar Situations or How to Avoid Some Ugly Mistakes! March 08, 2006 12:42 PM

With the advent of electronic word-processing and spellchecker programs, many people just presume that simply by running spellchecker all of their grammar errors will be caught and corrected. This is simply not so. Spellchecker programs often include some grammar checking, but no man-made program can catch all the innuendoes of the English language.

This article can not possibly address all the common grammar mistakes. What it can do, however, is to highlight just a few common mistakes and give you some hints on how to avoid them or at least recognize them.

That vs. Which

Here’s a problem that is very common: when to use “that” and when to use “which,” since in today’s colloquial language we often substitute one for the other. There is one easily applied rule that should help you recognize when to use that or which:

Use “that” when the phrase following “that” is essential. For example:

Buy the dress that is red and blue.

As you can see, “red and blue” is essential to the instruction to “buy the dress” and therefore is prefaced by “that.” Without “red and blue,” you might buy the wrong dress.

Use “which” when the phrase is merely an add-on thought or not essential.

She bought a lovely dress, which was red and blue.

Here the sentence says that “she bought a lovely dress,” but “red and blue” is just an add-on thought. If you eliminated “red and blue” the basic intent of the sentence remains unchanged: she bought a lovely dress.

Now personally, red and blue isn’t the most attractive color combination for a dress, but the point is clear. In the first sentence “red and blue” is necessary to the intent of the statement, and in the second sentence “red and blue” is merely additional information.

This is a simplified explanation of the difference between “that” and “which” and should not be taken as the sole criteria for proper grammatical use of these words. The easy-to-understand example, however, should point you in the right direction of how each word should be used most correctly in a sentence.

Affect vs. Effect

As a copyeditor/proofreader, I wish I had a nickel for every time I either corrected this mistake and/or re-read a sentence to verify that the right word had been used.

This explanation could takes pages and pages to clarify, but let’s just give you a simple rule to use:

If you can substitute the word “influence” in the sentence and get the same basic meaning, then use “affect.”

The threat of rain affected our plans for the day.

Now, substitute “influence”:

The threat of rain influenced our plans for the day.

The basic intent is the same; therefore “affect” is the right word.

If you can substitute words like “reaction” or consequence” in the sentence and get the same basic meaning, then use “effect.”

The effect of the rain was that we moved our backyard picnic into the kitchen.

Now, substitute “consequence”:

The consequence of the rain was that we moved our backyard picnic into the kitchen.

Well, OK, it isn’t something you would likely say, but the meaning of the sentence remained basically the same, so “effect” is the right word.

Once again, this is a very simplified rule, but you should get the general point. If you can make the substitutions I’ve given you without changing the basic meaning of the sentence, then you will know which word is the right word.

It’s vs. Its

This one is so easy, and yet it is often missed.

Oh, let me re-write that:

This one is so easy, and yet it’s often missed.

There’s your first clue: “it’s” is the contraction of “it is.” It’s NOT the singular possessive form of “it.” You know that if you want to indicate that the ball belongs to Bob, you write “Bob’s ball.” However, if “it” has a bad smell, then you write “its smell was awful.”

If you can substitute “it is” in the sentence, and the meaning remains unchanged, then use “it’s.”

However, the use of contractions in formal writing is not generally approved. You should not use any contractions in business communications, texts, or any writing that is formal.

There, They’re, or Their

Once again, this is easy and yet so many people miss it.

“There” indicates a place or a situation.

“They’re” is the contraction of “they are.” If you can substitute “they are” in the sentence, then use “they’re.”

“Their” is a plural possessive, that is something belongs to more than one person. If you can substitute more than one name (or thing) and not change the meaning of the sentence, then use “their.”

There are many other common grammar mistakes, but these few are certainly among the most common. If you are planning to write something, and you are unsure about some of the more basic grammar rules, I suggest you buy an easy-to-read-and-understand grammar book. Any bookstore has them, and you can buy great self-help books for under $20. I have three and I use them constantly!

Of course, your best course of action is that for anything you write for publication or business purposes, you should engage the services of a proofreader. And don’t wait until you think you are “all done” with the project! Get the proofreader involved as soon as you have a working draft. Proofreaders are often great sources to help you unravel difficult-to-understand text and can help you achieve the best possible manuscript.~~~Lilith
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 March 08, 2006 9:16 PM

So far, I love this thread! Please continue.

Can you give me the rules (please) for like and as?

Sometimes it looks like I'm the only one who knows the difference in your and you're, lie and lay. DRIVES ME NUTZ!

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anonymous  March 09, 2006 3:12 AM

Like

Since the 1950s, when it was especially associated with hipsters, “like” as a sort of meaningless verbal hiccup has been common in speech. The earliest uses had a sort of sense to them in which “like” introduced feelings or perceptions which were then specified: “When I learned my poem had been rejected I was, like, devastated.” However, “like” quickly migrated elsewhere in sentences: “I was like, just going down the road, when, like, I saw this cop, like, hiding behind the billboard.” This habit has spread throughout American society, affecting people of all ages. Those who have the irritating “like” habit are usually unaware of it, even if they use it once or twice in every sentence: but if your job involves much speaking with others, it’s a habit worth breaking.

Recently young people have extended its uses by using “like” to introduce thoughts and speeches: “When he tells me his car broke down on the way to my party I’m like, ” I know you were with Cheryl because she told me so.” To be reacted to as a grown-up, avoid this pattern.

as far as

Originally people used to say things like “As far as music is concerned, I especially love Baroque opera.” Recently they have begun to drop the “is concerned” part of the phrase. Perhaps this shift was influenced by confusion with a similar phrase, “as for.” “As for money, I don’t have any,” is fine; “As far as money, I don’t have any,” is clumsy.

asfollow

“My birthday requests are as follows.” This standard phrase doesn’t change number when the items to follow grow from one to many. It’s never correct to say “as follow.”

as of yet

“As of yet” is a windy and pretentious substitute for plain old English “yet” or “as yet,” an unjustified extension of the pattern in sentences like “as of Friday the 27th of May.”

as per

“Enclosed is the shipment of #2 toggle bolts as per your order of June 14” writes the businessman, unaware that not only is the “as” redundant, he is sounding very old-fashioned and pretentious. The meaning is “in accordance with,” or “in response to the request made”; but it is better to avoid these cumbersome substitutes altogether: “Enclosed is the shipment of bolts you ordered June 14.”

as such

The expression “as such” has to refer to some status mentioned earlier. “The CEO was a former drill sergeant, and as such expected everyone to obey his orders instantly.” In this case “such” refers back to “former drill sergeant.” But often people only imply that which is referred to, as in “The CEO had a high opinion of himself and as such expected everyone to obey his orders instantly.” Here the “such” cannot logically refer back to “opinion.” Replace “as such” with “therefore.”

as time

Events may progress in time, but time itself does not progress—it just passes.

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 March 10, 2006 4:14 PM

Thank you for these tips. I learned a lot. I have also run into problems with a few of them, so this thread really helped.  [ send green star]
 
 March 24, 2006 10:41 PM

Which is correct?

a. When I returned to my childhood home, it was like I had never left.

b. When I returned to my childhood home, it was as if I had never left.

Thanks

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anonymous Mary March 24, 2006 11:27 PM

b) is correct and you are welcome.  [report anonymous abuse]
 
anonymous I am March 24, 2006 11:31 PM

happy if i can help  [report anonymous abuse]
 
Srunk and White July 06, 2006 8:02 AM

Strunk & White's "Elements of Style" answers hundreds of these questions. It's short and inexpensive--every writer should have a copy.  [ send green star]
 
 July 18, 2006 8:37 AM

This has to be one of the most useful and practical posts I've ever read in all of my time on Care2,  I kid you not.  Thank you so much for this!  [ send green star]
 
Lilith... July 24, 2006 7:10 AM

Thanks so much for the useful information. I'd never heard of that book, but now I intend to get a copy. 

Karen B.

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anonymous GREAT July 28, 2006 2:14 AM

I am happy i help someone hugs Lillith  [report anonymous abuse]
 
Thank you August 25, 2006 12:58 AM

I really appreciated this topic. When I go back to proofread my work I find these little errors all the time, especially the "its vs it's".  So thank you very much and hopefully in the future I will catch them before my spellchecker. lol  [ send green star]
 
 August 26, 2006 12:12 AM

This is a wonderful thread! Thank you.  [ send green star]
 
anonymous ok but... September 09, 2006 8:33 PM

Im nt tryin to strt trobl but....You know what I just communicated,right?
I'm country, backwoods not backwards and I had to look up "aggrandizement" tonight to make sense out of a book I was reading.
Now it occured to me that the author was trying to impress, rather than communicate. Why not keep it where the entire reading population can understand it rather than just a few well educated ones?
My book will be filled with improper grammer and even several mis-spelled words but anybody that read Green Eggs and Ham will get the message, and there is a message, and it is communicated..
My style, if I have one, won't require a dictionary, and it wouldn't be me if I changed.. Just my view.. Really just a random thought skippin' across the creek of my mind...No harm, no fowl ?????hehe
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Happy Day! September 11, 2006 1:46 PM

Thanks for a fantastic group, and thread! Couldn't agree more, with Lorenzo A., this is the best thread I've seen at Care2. I've been writing for quite some time, and have owned just about every grammer book ever published, but...your post cleared-up two important questions. When to use which/that and affect/effect.

To Robert S.~ I enjoyed, and agree with what you wrote. I'll be one of the first who buys your book. However, one request: PLEASE don't use "don't", where "doesn't" clearly belongs. (My one and only gramatical 'issue'.)

I look forward to more......

PS~Please excuse my comma obsession.
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anonymous using that and who August 04, 2007 7:21 PM

How often do I see "that" being used following a person instead of "who", such as, "There goes the man that started all this talk." It should, in my humble opinion, be: ... the man who started ... etc... Do you also run into this inaccuracy?  [report anonymous abuse]
 
ttwo, to, and too August 04, 2008 12:44 AM

I'm a little saddened that you didn't mention the problems some people have with the 3 2's - two, to, and too.  I think most people know that "two" is used for the number 2, but "to" and "too" are often misused.

I had an eighth grade English teacher who gave an explaination that makes this easy to remember.  Here's an example:  When the two boys went to the ice cream store, their baby sister wanted to go, too.

Okay, "two" is easy - there are "2" boys.  They're going "to" the store.  But the way you know it's "too" when their baby sister wanted to go, too (NOT to), is because you can substitute "also" for the "too".

The rule my eighth grade English teacher taught us is that if you can substitute "also" you use "too".

There's one other time when "too" is used:  when you can ask "how much".  For instance:  Tommy ate too much cake.  It's "too" because you can ask how much cake Tommy ate.

Now if anybody  knows a neat litle trick like this for keeping the uses of "lay" and "lie" correct, please pass it on; I never get it right no matter how many times I look it up.

- writeroffthelake - www.writeroffthelake.com

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