Grammar Check: That versus Which

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"That" is used when essential information follows.

"Which" is used when non-essential information.

The rules are a little more complicated, but those are the basics.

Examples:

THAT

• Funding is used to help companies that have been approved by the government.
• The file cabinets hold IRS returns that have been filed.

WHICH

• Non-fiction books are on the back shelf, which is a bit of a walk from here.
• Retrievers are touted as being the best dogs around children, which is better for your needs.

By the way, "Who" refers to people. "That" and "which" refer to things, so don't use "that" when referring to people.
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Check Grammar: Good or Well?

I’ll never forget my 7th-grade Language Arts teacher telling us that we “could never do anything good.”

Yes, it seems a bit harsh, but it’s true, and it’s the method she used to help us understand when to use WELL and when to use GOOD.

WELL – an adverb, which describes HOW something is done.

• Shelley rides really well. (Describes how she rides.)
• Chad paints so well that his teacher is recommending him for the scholarship. (Describes how he paints.)
• Would you say she writes well? (Describes how she writes.)

GOOD – an adjective, which describes a NOUN (person, place, thing, idea, or concept).

• The lasagna is so good. (Describes the lasagna.)
• The writer is better than good; he’s fabulous! (Describes the writer.)
• It was a good website that had up-to-date information. (Describes the website.)
  

GOOD and WELL:

• It was good plan, and it was carried out well. (Good describes the plan, and well describes how it was carried out.)
• She’s a good architect, and her work is well received. (Good describes the architect, and well describes how her work is received.)
  

Confusing Words...

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There are several words that seem to perplex many, much of the time…

• Traveling or Travelling
• Canceled or Cancelled
• Adviser or Advisor
• All ready or Already
• I.E. or E.G.
• Awhile or A While

Let’s take a look at each set of words:grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Traveling or Travelling? Seems that using one L is more acceptable in the US, but using two Ls is common abroad.

Canceled or Cancelled? Again, it seems we Americans are the efficient ones, using only one L. Oxord Concise Dictionary says cancelled, but Merriam-Webster says either way. MS Word didn’t squiggle either spelling!
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Adviser or Advisor? The Columbia Guide to Standard English says BOTH are correct noun forms of the word Advise.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
All ready or Already? These are different words that are sometimes misused. Already is an adverb used to describe something that has happened before a certain time, as in “Are you coming? I’ve already got my jacket.” All ready is a phrase meaning completely prepared, as in “As soon as I put on my jacket, I’ll be all ready.”grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
I.Ee., or E.G., ? Again two separate meanings.

"I.e." means "that is," which is short for a Latin phrase. "I.e." is used in place of "in other words," or "it/that is."

"E.g." means "for example" and also comes from a Latin expression. "E.g." is normally used before an example.

Awhile or A While? Awhile is an adverb, which means "for a while," for example, “I walked awhile before I became tired.” A while is two words: the article “a” plus a noun, used primarily after the word “for,” for example, “I thought for a while before I answered.”

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BAD or BADLY

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Have you ever wondered if “I feel badly” is correct or incorrect? Okay, most people don’t wonder, but maybe, just maybe, you are wondering. So, which is correct, “I feel badly,” or “I feel bad,” when describing one’s physical state? Most people aren’t confused when they hear either of these sentences: they just know that you don’t feel well.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
Let’s take a look at the rules:

1. LY is added to the end of an adjective to create an adverb. Wait! Don’t go. Just take it one step at a time, and it’ll make sense.
2. An adjective describes something. An adverb describes something too: a verb*
3. Okay, so LY added to a word means that it describes a VERB. A verb shows ACTION.
4. SO…words that end in LY can only describe HOW or the METHOD of performing an ACTION.

BADLY, can ONLY show HOW something is DONE. Here are some sentences to exemplify all this gibberish:
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Correct:

• He writes badly. (Tells how he writes.)
• She sings badly. (Tells how she sings.)

Incorrect:

• She feels badly. (Tells how she touches something…not her physical state but her tactile ability.)
• I felt badly about his death. (Again, incorrect.)

“I feel bad.” Is the only correct way to express your state of health.grammar, grammar rule, english grammar, grammar check, grammar help
(*and other adjectives, but let’s not get in over our heads just yet.)

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Sexist Language

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This week, I’ve noticed an alarming number of offenses in sexist language. Sexist language isn’t limited to using the generic HE; it goes far beyond this, but I’ll cover this for now.

It is no longer acceptable to use HE to represent the human (or any) population—unless the entire population is male and that fact is verifiable. It is acceptable, however, to alternate between HE and SHE (or him and her) throughout a text, to represent an unknown gender; at first this may seem confusing so it is advisable to use neutral words that do not indicate gender. Here’s are three paragraphs that exemplify this rule; the first is sexist, the second uses alternating pronouns, and the third substitutes pronouns with other nouns that do not indicate gender:

1. Just before the birth, help your child select his own special gift to give to the baby at the hospital. Gently help him choose an infant-appropriate toy. Help him wrap it and place it in your hospital bag. When he comes to visit the new baby at the hospital, have the gift available so he can present it to Baby.
2. Just before the birth, help your child select his own special gift to give to the baby at the hospital. Gently help her choose an infant-appropriate toy. Help him wrap it and place it in your hospital bag. When she comes to visit the new baby at the hospital, have the gift available so he can present it to Baby.
3. Just before the birth, help your child select a special gift to give to the baby at the hospital. Gently help the child choose an infant-appropriate toy. Help the soon-to-be sibling wrap it and place it in your hospital bag. When it comes to visit the new baby at the hospital, have the gift available so the older child can present it to Baby.

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Advise or Advice?

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Seems lately I’ve been fixated on words that are commonly confused, so why stop now? The two words I’ve noticed recently that people seem to interchanged incorrectly are ADVICE and ADVISE.

Definitions:

• ADVISE – (S=Z sound): It’s a VERB, which means it shows ACTION. To ADVISE someone is to give them ADVICE or a recommendation.
• ADVICE – (C=S sound): It’s a NOUN, which means it’s a person, place, thing, idea, or concept. It’s a recommendation or a suggestion.

I think it’s the consonant sounds that trip up speakers and writers. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

ADVISE:

• The teacher will advise you to take notes.
• The counselor advised us to select fewer courses.
  

ADVICE:

• The teacher’s advice was helpful.
• The counselor’s advice was not applicable to us.
  

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WHO or WHOM?

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We just don't hear WHOM as much in recent years because it sounds so formal, but there are situations where formality rules, so let's take a look at an easy way to remember which is correct, WHO or WHOM.

The method I teach my students is substitution. If you’re unsure when speaking or writing, if you can substitute as follows:

HE or SHE = WHO
HIM or HER = WHOM

If it sounds correct using HE or SHE, the correct word is WHO.

If it sounds correct using HIM or HER, the correct word is WHOM.

Hint: If the sentence asks a question, just answer it using this replacement to find the proper usage.

EXAMPLES:

WHO/WHOM took the photograph? He or Him took the photograph. He took the photograph. WHO is correct here: Who took the photograph?

The gifts were an incentive for WHO/WHOM? The gifts were an incentive for her. WHOM is correct: The gifts were an incentive for whom?

The essay was written for WHO/WHOM? The essay was written for HIM. WHOM is correct here. The essay was written for WHOM?

If you have a sentence that you can’t solve, put it in a comment here.
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ITS or IT'S - with an apostrophe?

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When you use IT'S - with an apostrophe, it means IT IS. ALWAYS, NO MATTER WHAT.

Examples (the first two are incorrect; the last three are correct):

The dog lost it's (it is) bone.
The site is notable for it's (it is) collection.
It's (it is) a story of two cities.
We think it's (it is) easy.
It's (it is) only a dream.

I do understand why people do this: that fuzzy rule about possession, i.e., use an apostrophe to show ownership.

Its = possessive pronoun, that means it was created specifically so that you wouldn't have to use an apostrophe to show ownership.

Examples:
The dog lost its bone.
The site is notable for its extensive collection of links to resources.

It's not so difficult, is it?

Definately or Definitely?

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I've seen this word misspelled so many times lately, so let's get to work. We’ll start with a definition because I think that will help you remember how to spell it:

DEFINITE or DEFINITELY = limits or finite quality. <Merriam-webster online>

The etymology (the history of a word) shows that it comes from the word FINITE, which will also help you remember how to spell it.

Since you know that FINITE is spelled with an I and not an A, you should have no problems remembering, now, that DEFINTELY is definitely not spelled DEFINATELY.

LIE and LAY

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Here’s the reason most people get this mixed up: LAY has TWO meanings--I’m not kidding; do I look like I’m kidding?

The easiest way to remember when to use LIE and LAY correctly is to …
1) Know WHEN the action occurred (also known as verb tense)
2) Know if the person is reclining or “putting something down”

First, look at these definitions, then we’ll try a few sample sentences:

LIE = to recline (also LYING)

LAY (1) = to recline, in the past (yes, it’s true) – most want to use LAID but DON’T

LAY (2) = to place something, now or in the future, such as PUT or SET

LIE:
I had to LIE down.
Let sleeping dogs LIE.
Let’s go LIE by the pool. (Yes, I know it sounds formal, but it’s correct.)
The money was LYING on the ground.

LAY (1):
Yesterday, I LAY by the pool for hours. (I know, I know, it sounds crazy.)
I called Spot, but he just LAY there.
I was exhausted, so I LAY in bed all morning.

LAY (2):
Bricklayers LAY bricks.
He told me to LAY the books on the desk.
Sarah wanted to LAY the groceries down.

My quick and dirty rule: ALWAYS use “put” or “set” instead of LAY (2) since it sounds formal and many people will actually think you’re stupid if you use it correctly.

TOP 5 Tricks for Looking and Sounding Smarter

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Because you really are.


1. If there’s a rule you’ve never quite understood, reword to avoid!
2. Proofread your writing, and the best way to proofread is to read aloud. If it sounds wrong, it probably is.
3. Know the most common mistakes (next entry in my blog, I promise).
4. Okay, I know this is oversaid, but use a spellchecker at ALL times (Spellcheckers are not 100% effective, but they’re better than a sharp stick in the eye.)
5. Avoid using regional language or colloquialisms (expressions not used in formal speech or writing), such as the colloquialism I used in item #4 above.

For more on the importance of grammar...

Affect or Effect?

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It’s time to talk about AFFECT and EFFECT. Yes, yes, I know it’s easy to confuse a verb and noun—if you’re learning the language, but this offense occurs regularly by native English speakers and writers, so I must intervene.

Here’s the boring—but necessary—stuff:

AFFECT: it’s a VERB, which means it shows ACTION; for example, “I know this will AFFECT your image in a positive way.”

EFFECT: it’s a NOUN, which means it MUST be a person, place, thing, idea, or concept; for example, “The greenhouse EFFECT is overblown, according to some.”

The quick and dirty of this lesson: if you can’t remember the difference between a noun and a verb, just use association: Action=Affect.Now, go write.