11-28-03 - 2:35 p.m.
This is the place where I am going to keep all of my Snappy Grammar Tips. I figure I'll just copy and paste them into this entry each time I do a new one. Have fun learning grammar.
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Today's lesson is: Less vs. Fewer.
Now, a lot of you know this rule, but trust me guys, many people don't. The rule is: When you're talking about things you can physically count, then you use fewer. For example, "This CD has fewer songs than that one." Now, if you're talking about something that you can't actually count, like...say...mustard, then you use less. "I like a little less mustard on my sandwich." It's really an easy rule to learn, but there are a lot of people who don't know it. For example, I see "10 items or less!" signs on the express check-out stands all the time. How annoying. I think I'll just stop shopping at those places. I also hear people use "less" instead of "fewer" on the radio. Occasionally a DJ will say their station has "less commercials." They aren't idiots, folks, they just don't know.
There's a reason that people don't accidentally use "fewer" instead of "less" very often. Everyone should know that it sounds moronic to say "I'd like fewer cream cheese on my bagel, please." I hope you wouldn't say that. If you would, then maybe you need to stay tuned for more "Red's Snappy Grammar Tips," because you need them.
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Today's lesson is: That vs. Which.
This rule is really getting phased out of the ever evolving societal grammar guide, but I feel like it is one of those details that is easy to get under control.
"That" and "which" are both used to give more information in a sentence. It is appropriate to use "that" when the information is not set off by commas, because it is imperative that the information be in the sentence.
Here is an example:
The food that I love the most is pizza.
The clause "that I love the most" is not set off by commas, and is important to the sentence because if it were taken out, the sentence would simply read "The food is pizza," and that no longer conveys the important information.
"Which" is used for clauses that can be taken away from the sentence because they are surrounded by commas.
An example:
The toy, which has red stripes, is my son's favorite.
This sentence implies that the red stripe information is not really needed, which is why it is set off by commas.
Some authors believe that the "that vs. which" rule is very outdated, and they just try not to use "that" and "which" too close together in their sentences. So sometimes, they use "which" even when the clause isn't set off by commas. For example they would say, "The cat that has green eyes has a hat which is blue." By using "that" and "which," they avoid using "that" twice in the same sentence. This is really just a preference.
"That" can never be used in a clause that is set off by commas. For example the sentence, "The dog, that has blue eyes, is wagging its tail" uses "that" incorrectly. It should use "which."
I have beaten this to death, I know, but I'm done now.
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Today's lesson is: Who vs. Whom.
For the love of Pete, people. All it amounts to (basically) is rearranging the sentence a bit. I'll illustrate my lesson with examples.
"Who loves presents?"
We know it's "who" because if you rearrange the sentence, you get "She loves presents." The fact that "she" is used lets us know that we use "who." If it were "her" then we would use "whom." She = Who, Her = Whom. Next example:
"To whom it may concern:"
Okay, here, when you do the switcherooney, you get "It may concern her," and this is how you know to use "whom." One more example:
"For whom the bell tolls,"
"The bell tolls for her." Her = Whom.
That's brief, I know, and not even conclusive, but if it solves even two who/whom mix-ups, then I'm happy.
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Today's lesson is: Good vs. Well.
I thought I would never have to add this here, but apparently it's very necessary, since I hear it all the time.
This is a very simple rule, and so it should never be broken. Good is for words regarding the five senses. For example, "That cake smells good!" or "This fabric feels good." or, "I can't wait to see how good that tastes!"
See, that's the easy part, because nobody in their right mind is going to say, "This fabric feels well." But, when the well part comes in, I guess people lose it.
Well is used for everything else. That's it. I know it seems very simple, but we all know that far too many people say, "I don't play sports very good," or "I'm doing good, thanks!" I cringe when I hear these things, but it's that simple, people.
"Good" is an adjective and "well" is an adverb.
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Today's lesson is: Everyday vs. Every Day.
In writing, I see things like, "We go to the beach everyday" way too frequently.
"Everyday" can only be used as an adjective, like, "everyday items," and you can only use "every day" to say how often something is done, like, "We do this every day."
So, this: "Almost every day I go to the store to get everyday toiletries" is correct. There are other words that have the same form as that, and they should be treated the same way.
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Today's lesson is: Quote vs. Quotation.
It's simple. "Quote" is a verb, and "quotation" is a noun. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Here is a sentence using these words correctly:
"I am going to quote Rachele using one of her famous quotations."
And here is one that uses them incorrectly:
"I am going to quote Rachele using one of her famous quotes."
I shouldn't have to explain this any more.
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Today's lesson is: She vs. Her.
Okay, here is what I am hearing:
*ring ring*
"Hello?"
"Is Molly there?"
"This is her."
It should actually be "This is she."
I also hear this one:
"I can roller-skate much better than her."
or
"Angela is more lively than him."
These are both incorrect and should have "she" and "he" at the end, respectively. If you complete the sentences using "her" and "him," it becomes obvious that these are wrong.
"I can roller-skate much better than her can roller-skate."
and
"Angela is more lively than him is lively."
See what I mean? They don't make sense now, and that's how you can tell that you need to use "he" and "she."
As for the phone conversation, if you complete the sentence, you get, "This is her speaking." And if you rearrange that sentence, you get, "Her is speaking," which is incorrect, and this tells you to use "she."
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Today's lesson is: Real vs. Very.
This is very important. Real is an adjective that is used to say something is "genuine," while very is an adverb that is used to mean "extremely." People use "real" in place of "very" all the time, and it is not right.
"I am real glad you could come today" is an incorrect sentence, and so is "The cookies smell real good." Both of these sentences need to use the word "very" instead of "real."
"The cookies smell very good" is correct.
As a side note, the adverb "really" could have popped into your heads while reading this. "Really" is derived from the word "real" and also refers to the truth or actuality of something. It is also often misused in place of "very," but it is considered acceptable, since it is at least an adverb, unlike "real," which is an adjective.
A sentence which uses "really" correctly is, "The girl at that table is really a famous actress."
Very and really have distinct differences. "Very" involves an extreme, and "really" involves a truth, and it is important to use them the right way.
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Today's lesson is: Disinterested vs. Uninterested.
There is a slight, but very simple difference. When someone is disinterested, he doesn't care about the subject.
For example, Jim doesn't care about football, but his friends do, and they are all watching a game. Jim ends up zoning out and staring at the walls. Jim is clearly disinterested. He doesn't care.
Now, Joe, on the other hand, hates football. It isn't that he doesn't care; he doesn't like it at all. While his friends watch the game, he would rather go out and play disc golf because he is uninterested.
See? It's a small difference, but if you are a stickler for grammatically correct language, then it's an important one.
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Today's lesson is: Best vs. Better.
"Chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin: Which type of cookie is best?"
That sentence shows an example of incorrect usage of the superlative, "best." The sentence should read, "...Which type of cookie is better?"
The rule is easy: If you're comparing more than two objects, then you need to use "best." For example, "Red, blue, or yellow: Which color do you think is best?"
