GRAMMAR MISTAKES
G'day guys,
Today I feature some useful information about grammar, written by Jon Gingerich. As he says, "I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job
that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am
grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed
endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery."
Who and Whom
This one
opens a big can of worms. “Who” is a subjective — or nominative — pronoun,
along with "he," "she," "it," "we," and
"they." It’s used when the pronoun acts as the subject of a clause.
“Whom” is an objective pronoun, along with "him," "her,"
"it", "us," and "them." It’s used when the
pronoun acts as the object of a clause. Using “who” or “whom” depends on
whether you’re referring to the subject or object of a sentence. When in doubt,
substitute “who” with the subjective pronouns “he” or “she,” e.g., Who loves
you? cf., He loves me. Similarly, you can also substitute
“whom” with the objective pronouns “him” or “her.” e.g., I consulted an
attorney whom I met in New York. cf., I consulted him.
Which and That
This is
one of the most common mistakes out there, and understandably so. “That” is a
restrictive pronoun. It’s vital to the noun to which it’s referring.
e.g., I don’t trust fruits and vegetables that aren’t organic. Here, I’m
referring to all non-organic fruits or vegetables. In other words, I only trust
fruits and vegetables that are organic. “Which” introduces a relative clause.
It allows qualifiers that may not be essential. e.g., I recommend you eat
only organic fruits and vegetables, which are available in area grocery stores.
In this case, you don’t have to go to a specific grocery store to obtain
organic fruits and vegetables. “Which” qualifies, “that” restricts. “Which” is
more ambiguous however, and by virtue of its meaning is flexible enough to be
used in many restrictive clauses. e.g., The house, which is burning, is
mine. e.g., The house that is burning is mine.
Lay and Lie
This is
the crown jewel of all grammatical errors. “Lay” is a transitive verb. It
requires a direct subject and one or more objects. Its present tense is “lay”
(e.g., I lay the pencil on the table) and its past tense is “laid”
(e.g., Yesterday I laid the pencil on the table). “Lie” is an
intransitive verb. It needs no object. Its present tense is “lie” (e.g., The
Andes mountains lie between Chile and Argentina) and its past tense is
“lay” (e.g., The man lay waiting for an ambulance). The most common
mistake occurs when the writer uses the past tense of the transitive “lay”
(e.g., I laid on the bed) when he/she actually means the intransitive
past tense of “lie" (e.g., I lay on the bed).
Moot
Contrary
to common misuse, “moot” doesn’t imply something is superfluous. It means a
subject is disputable or open to discussion. e.g., The idea that commercial
zoning should be allowed in the residential neighborhood was a moot point for
the council.
Continual and Continuous
They’re
similar, but there’s a difference. “Continual” means something that's always
occurring, with obvious lapses in time. “Continuous” means something continues
without any stops or gaps in between. e.g., The continual music next door
made it the worst night of studying ever. e.g., Her continuous talking
prevented him from concentrating.
Envy and Jealousy
The word
“envy” implies a longing for someone else’s good fortunes. “Jealousy” is far
more nefarious. It’s a fear of rivalry, often present in sexual situations.
“Envy” is when you covet your friend’s good looks. “Jealousy” is what happens
when your significant other swoons over your good-looking friend.
Nor
“Nor”
expresses a negative condition. It literally means "and not." You’re
obligated to use the “nor” form if your sentence expresses a negative and
follows it with another negative condition. “Neither the men nor the women were
drunk” is a correct sentence because “nor” expresses that the women held the
same negative condition as the men. The old rule is that “nor” typically
follows “neither,” and “or” follows “either.” However, if neither “either” nor
“neither” is used in a sentence, you should use “nor” to express a second
negative, as long as the second negative is a verb. If the second negative is a
noun, adjective, or adverb, you would use “or,” because the initial negative
transfers to all conditions. e.g., He won’t eat broccoli or asparagus.
The negative condition expressing the first noun (broccoli) is also used for
the second (asparagus).
May and Might
“May”
implies a possibility. “Might” implies far more uncertainty. “You may get drunk
if you have two shots in ten minutes” implies a real possibility of
drunkenness. “You might get a ticket if you operate a tug boat while drunk”
implies a possibility that is far more remote. Someone who says “I may have
more wine” could mean he/she doesn't want more wine right now, or that he/she
“might” not want any at all. Given the speaker’s indecision on the matter,
“might” would be correct.
Whether and If
Many
writers seem to assume that “whether” is interchangeable with “if." It
isn’t. “Whether” expresses a condition where there are two or more
alternatives. “If” expresses a condition where there are no alternatives. e.g.,
I don’t know whether I’ll get drunk tonight. e.g., I can get drunk
tonight if I have money for booze.
Fewer and Less
“Less” is
reserved for hypothetical quantities. “Few” and “fewer” are for things you can
quantify. e.g., The firm has fewer than ten employees. e.g., The firm
is less successful now that we have only ten employees.
Farther and Further
The word
“farther” implies a measurable distance. “Further” should be reserved for
abstract lengths you can't always measure. e.g., I threw the ball ten feet
farther than Bill. e.g., The financial crisis caused further
implications.
Since and Because
“Since”
refers to time. “Because” refers to causation. e.g., Since I quit drinking
I’ve married and had two children. e.g., Because I quit drinking I no
longer wake up in my own vomit.
Disinterested and Uninterested
Contrary
to popular usage, these words aren’t synonymous. A “disinterested” person is
someone who’s impartial. For example, a hedge fund manager might take interest
in a headline regarding the performance of a popular stock, even if he's never
invested in it. He’s “disinterested,” i.e., he doesn’t seek to gain financially
from the transaction he’s witnessed. Judges and referees are supposed to be
"disinterested." If the sentence you’re using implies someone who
couldn't care less, chances are you’ll want to use “uninterested.”
Anxious
Unless
you’re frightened of them, you shouldn’t say you’re “anxious to see your
friends.” You’re actually “eager,” or "excited." To be “anxious”
implies a looming fear, dread or anxiety. It doesn’t mean you’re looking
forward to something.
Different Than and Different From
This is a
tough one. Words like “rather” and “faster” are comparative adjectives, and are
used to show comparison with the preposition “than,” (e.g., greater than, less
than, faster than, rather than). The adjective “different” is used to draw
distinction. So, when “different” is followed by a preposition, it should
be “from,” similar to “separate from,” “distinct from,” or “away from.” e.g., My
living situation in New York was different from home. There are rare cases
where “different than” is appropriate, if “than” operates as a conjunction.
e.g., Development is different in New York than in Los Angeles. When in
doubt, use “different from.”
Bring and Take
In order
to employ proper usage of “bring” or “take,” the writer must know whether the
object is being moved toward or away from the subject. If it is toward, use
“bring.” If it is away, use “take.” Your spouse may tell you to “take your
clothes to the cleaners.” The owner of the dry cleaners would say “bring your
clothes to the cleaners.”
Impactful
It isn't
a word. "Impact" can be used as a noun (e.g., The impact of the
crash was severe) or a transitive verb (e.g., The crash impacted my
ability to walk or hold a job). "Impactful" is a made-up
buzzword, colligated by the modern marketing industry in their endless attempts
to decode the innumerable nuances of human behavior into a string of mindless
metrics. Seriously, stop saying this.
Affect and Effect
Here’s a
trick to help you remember: “Affect” is almost always a verb (e.g., Facebook
affects people’s attention spans), and “effect” is almost always a noun
(e.g., Facebook's effects can also be positive). “Affect” means to
influence or produce an impression — to cause hence, an effect. “Effect” is the
thing produced by the affecting agent; it describes the result or outcome.
There are some exceptions. “Effect” may be used as a transitive verb, which
means to bring about or make happen. e.g., My new computer effected a
much-needed transition from magazines to Web porn. There are similarly rare
examples where “affect” can be a noun. e.g., His lack of affect made him
seem like a shallow person.
Irony and Coincidence
Too many
people claim something is the former when they actually mean the latter. For
example, it’s not “ironic” that “Barbara moved from California to New York,
where she ended up meeting and falling in love with a fellow Californian.” The
fact that they’re both from California is a "coincidence."
"Irony" is the incongruity in a series of events between the expected
results and the actual results. "Coincidence" is a series of events
that appear planned when they’re actually accidental. So, it would be "ironic"
if “Barbara moved from California to New York to escape California men, but the
first man she ended up meeting and falling in love with was a fellow
Californian.”
Nauseous
Undoubtedly
the most common mistake I encounter. Contrary to almost ubiquitous misuse, to
be “nauseous” doesn’t mean you’ve been sickened: it actually means you possess
the ability to produce nausea in others. e.g., That week-old hot dog is
nauseous. When you find yourself disgusted or made ill by a nauseating
agent, you are actually “nauseated.” e.g., I was nauseated after falling
into that dumpster behind the Planned Parenthood. Stop embarrassing
yourself.
Clancy's comment: Mm ... recognised a few of my own regular stuff ups. Did you? I have always admired anyone who has learnt English as a second language. Well done!
I'm ...
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