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Pam Nelson: The Grammar Guide

 

Archive for May 2005

Number of comments in parentheses

29: Look it up

A reader pointed out that in an earlier post “You could look it up,” I had made a mistake in this sentence: I recommend that everyone have a hardcover dictionary for their home office or student desk. I referred to “everyone,” which is singular, but used a plural pronoun, “their.” I should have used either a plural word, such as “folks,” (which is what I have changed it to, by the way), or a singular pronoun, “his.” Because we shy away from using masculine pronouns only, we might use “his or her.” Or we can recast the sentence and[.....]

27: Song of “myself”

I heard Rosemary Clooney sing “By Myself” the other day. It’s a lovely song, and the lyricist, Howard Dietz, used “myself” correctly. (Sometimes being a copy editor makes listening to popular songs strange; you focus on the oddest things.) Here is one line from the song: “No one knows better than I myself, I’m by myself alone.” In that one line Dietz used a -self pronoun as an intensive (I myself) and as a reflexive (I’m by myself). Cool. Unfortunately, the abuse of the -self pronouns has become rampant. This is mostly in speech and less often in writing,[.....]

24: That’s you all, y’all

I love “y’all.” We don’t have a different form for plural “you” (like “we” or “they”) in standard English, but “y’all” fills that role in Southern English. (“Youse” is a Northern equivalent, I suppose.) I have often dreamed of having a platform to promote the elevation of “y’all” into standard written and spoken English. Maybe this blog is the place to start. But we need to stamp out its misuse. First, it is to be used only as a plural. Second, it must be spelled correctly. “Y’all,” as most Southerners know, is a contraction for “you all.” That’s why[.....]

23: Two grammar and style sites

Academic Web sites are wonderful resources for grammar help. I was reminded of that today when one of my colleagues asked me about a point of grammar/usage. One site I have consulted is Common Errors in English, written by Professor Paul Brians of Washington State University. I also check Professor Jack Lynch’s Guide to Grammar and Style. He teaches at Rutgers University’s Newark campus.Both resources are great for students and/or writers. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011[.....]

22: Premiere is first

We often see the words “premier” and “premiere” confused. A “premiere” is a noun that means a first performance. “Premier” is most often an adjective that means leading or first in importance. Many times I see “premiere” used when “premier” is the correct choice. The image below appears on a Web site for Raleigh Downtown Live. What the site means to say is that the concert series is the leading one, not a first performance. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and[.....]

21: Win the “comprise” prize

The phrase “is comprised of” is always wrong. No matter how many times you see it in print, you should not pick up this phrase for your own writing. Here is why. “Comprise” means to contain, embrace or include. So a larger thing comprises (that is, contains or includes) various parts. A zoo comprises lions, tigers, bears, birds, elephants and anteaters. You can see why people might think that they can turn the word around and make it passive, but if you substitute a form of “include” or “contain” you can see how wrong it sounds. The zoo is[.....]

18: It’s a problem

I often puzzle over the misuse of its and it’s. How can one little word (or rather one little word and one little contraction) give people such fits? It’s easy to mistype these words, but I think a lot of people find the distinction confusing. The only way to be sure that you have used the right version of the word is to ask yourself whether you mean “it is” (it’s) or “something belonging to it” (its). If you have a problem with “it’s” and “its,” you should stop on every use of these words and ask this question.[.....]

18: Test yourself

One of my colleagues sent me a link to a fun grammar quiz: Does your English cut the mustard? It tests grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.Try it. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.

13: Bring me the bring-take problem

A fellow copy editor explained the difference between the use of “bring” and “take” to me some years ago. I think that I had always used the words correctly without thinking, but I didn’t always pick up on incorrect use in stories that I was editing. I notice the usage all the time now, thanks to my colleague’s explanation. I thought about this usage problem again recently when James Kilpatrick wrote about it in his language column, which The N&O carries. Kilpatrick allows for a looser usage than I am willing to. Here is how I think of the[.....]

10: Apostrophe abuse, part 2

Here is a sign that uses an apostrophe to make a plural. It’s on a restaurant in Clayton. I’ll be on the lookout for more examples. This article was originally posted by the Raleigh News & Observer, a subsidiary of The McClatchy Co.; is posted here to provide continuity; and is copyright © 2011 The News & Observer Publishing Company, which reserves the right to remove this post.

9: Stop apostrophe misuse

Most of us have grammar and usage pet peeves. Mine is the rampant, inexplicable misuse of the apostrophe to make plurals. I wish I could trace this widespread error back to its source and stamp it out. But, failing that, I think the next best thing is to spread the word. (At this point, I slip into my schoolmarm mode.) Do not use ‘s to make a singular noun plural — ever. It’s always wrong. The only time you need ‘s to make a plural is with single letters: My son earned all A’s and B’s on his report[.....]

7: And that’s that

A message from a reader prompts this post about “that” and “which.” I was already earning a living as a journalist before I finally understood how to use “that” and “which” properly, so I certainly understand the confusion. This tricky choice seems to give a lot of writers (and their editors) trouble. In a nutshell, if the information that follows “that” or “which” is limiting or key to understanding the sentence, you need “that.” If the information is extra and not limiting then use “which.” (In grammar speak, “that” introduces essential or restrictive clauses, and “which” introduces nonessential or[.....]

6: You could look it up

We copy editors at The N&O turn to the dictionary quite often, probably several times every day. We use them, as students and others do, to check spelling or definitions. We want to be sure that we have chosen the right word and have spelled it correctly. Whenever school groups come through our office and stop at my desk, I hold up my dictionary and point out to the students that, even though I have been a journalist for almost 30 years and have been writing English since about 1959, I still need a dictionary. So which dictionary? We[.....]