Grammarian's Guide to the Galaxy

My final project for EGL 207! Here you can find a crash course for various grammar terms, definitions, and rules, all available on your favorite website: tumblr! Click around below to start learning!

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Usage Part III: Miscellaneous II

Here are more misc things to look out for. Even I would argue that some of the incorrect sentences sound correct or natural (sometimes even more so than the proper or correct ones!), but I am not a professional grammarian, so I don’t get to make the rules :(

I. Amount vs Number

The rule here is similar for less vs fewer: if it can be counted, use number. If it is a mass noun, use amount.

Decide which one to use:

1. The amount/number of dogs at the park was insane!

2. The amount/number of water damage is very low.

II. Between vs Among

Another simple rule: you choose between two things, and among three or more things.

1. If she had to pick her favorite music genre, it’d be between pop punk and k-pop.

2. Among all the applicants, Angela stood out as the most qualified.

III. Indefinite Pronouns

This was probably the hardest pill for me to swallow. In my everyday speech, I tend to use the incorrect form! But I’ll teach you the correct way to use these words.

There are some pronouns that take singular verbs no matter what. These are: each, every(one/body), any(one/body), one, someone/body (and probably a few more). So, even if some of it may sound incorrect, their verbs are always singular!

1. Each of the animals has its role in the ecosystem. 

2. Is anybody home?

None has become the exception: using it with a plural verb has become so commonplace that grammarians are beginning to accept it as correct.

1. None of them are going to be late to the meeting.

IV. Either _ or _

Either, neither, nor, or, but, are words that are exceptions to the above rule in a different way from none. 

For these, the subject closer to the verb decides whether it is singular or plural. It’s easier to see than to explain.

Decide if the verb should be plural or singular.

1. Neither Rebecca nor her friends is/are lying to you.

2. Either Garret or they goes/go!

V. I vs Me

People often over-correct and use “I” in sentences where it really isn’t needed. Sometimes, it’s perfectly fine to use “and me”!

Subjective pronouns cause the action in a sentence, and objective pronouns receive them. I is a subjective pronoun (and so are: you, he/she/it, we, they) and me is an objective pronoun (and so are: you, him/her/it, us, them). Also, prepositions (e.g. on, in, near, from) take objective pronouns.

Long story short: When causing action or doing something, use “I,” when receiving action, or when being used with a preposition, use “me.”

What’s the correct pronoun to use?

1. He invited Andy and I/me to his birthday party.

2. My dog and I/me are very excited to go swimming.

Also important to note is that “between you and me” is perfectly grammatical! Between is a preposition, so we the objective pronoun, though “between us” is also acceptable and probably sounds less clunky.

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Important Terms to Remember

These aren’t rules or anything like that, but it’s important to have these terms memorized. I won’t include/define things like parts of speech or cases, because those can be refreshed with a simple google source.

I. Moods

Moods are used to express specific types of situations. I’m going to cover subjunctive, conditional and indicative for you. (With the interrogative and imperative, there are five total moods, I think)

I. Subjunctive Mood

This is used when the situation in question is doubtful or wanted to be true. You tend to see words like: if, were, would (be), wish. If you wish for something to happen, or if you’re giving advice, or even just giving an example, you’d use the subjunctive mood to express it.

Some examples:

1. Jeremy wished he had locked the door before he left for work.

2. If only I had a million dollars!

II. Conditional Mood

Conditional mood means that the situation needs to meet certain conditions to be true. You tend to see words like: if, would, could, might. It can be used to express hypothetical examples, like the subjunctive mood.

On first glance, it is easy to confuse with the subjunctive mood. Just remember that the subjunctive can also be used for past, untrue events, as shown in example 1 above. Conditional also seems to be more cause-effect related.

Here are some examples:

1. If you keep practicing, you might be able to make it to the major league.

2. If Carmen were a little nicer, she would be more popular.

III. Indicative Mood

Indicative Mood is your basic declarative sentence. 

1. I am eating a sandwich.

2. Jacob was chosen to go to Mars.

Identify the moods below:

1. I wish I were happier. 

2. He taught his son how to read and write.

3. If Diana could’ve run any faster, she might have broken the sound barrier.

4. He is learning how to ski.

5. They wouldn’t give him a chance, not even in five years time!

II. Voices

There are two that I know of in English -- passive and active -- and they emphasize different aspects of a sentence.

I. Passive

In a sentence written in the passive voice, the subject is being acted on by a verb, rather than doing the action. It receives the action, but is placed first in the sentence for emphasis. 

Look:

The children were picked up by their parents at three.

II. Active

This is the more common voice in English. The subject of the sentence is acting, not being acted upon. 

The best way to see this is via example:

Allen threw the ball at the wall.

Now, compare the two voices to each other:

1. She invented the circular saw.

2. The circular saw was invented by her.

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Sentence Starters

There are a lot of myths about what you can or cant start a sentence with. I have two interesting things to keep in mind:

I. Subordinating Conjunctions

Here’s a small list of subordinating conjunctions: after, because, when, before, since, unless, until, where, as if, though, etc

You can start a sentence with them, just have the independent clause follow (Fogarty 78).

The italicized word is the subordinating conjunction.

1. After painting for three hours straight, Daisy knew her clothes were covered in paint.

2. How he passed the test without studying at all, we will never know.

II. Coordinating Conjunctions

The famous FANBOYS -- For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So (So is also a subordinating conjunction). Start a sentence with one of these for emphasis (Fogarty 79).

1. But he did not want to marry her.

2. Or maybe we shouldn’t do that.

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Grammar

I won’t go too in-depth, but here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re writing.

I. Prepositions

Prepositions are words that connect other words -- they reveal space and time relationships to the reader. Taking a preposition out of a sentence changes its meaning. They’re often part of phrasal verbs, eg look at, look around, look after (Fogarty 53).

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Long story short: Yes. At the very least, it’s fine to end with a preposition if it is part of a sentence, like cheer up, look at, step on, etc (Fogarty 53).

II. Verb Splitting

It’s perfectly okay to split full verbs (verbs that include “to” like to eat, to fly, to play)! (Fogarty 56).

Sentences like these are perfectly acceptable:

1. He wanted to playfully tease his son over his crush.

2. Rita seemed to bravely face whatever came her way.

III. Modifiers

Modifiers modify! But you generally want to keep them as close as possible to what they’re modifying. Put one-word modifiers right before the affected word(s) (Fogarty 63).

When modifiers are placed too far from the affected words, they can cause issues. You can end up with a squinting modifier, or a dangling modifier.

The issue with squinting modifiers: it appears as if two different words are being modified, and gives the sentence two different meanings. You want to be clear about what you’re trying to communicate!

Here are some examples. Click the modifiers to see different ways you could alter the sentence for clarity.

1. Oliver’s mumbling mildly annoyed the teacher.

2. Studying in the library constantly improves grades.

More commonly, we run into dangling modifiers. I’d argue that at first glance, these type of sentences make sense; it’s when you sit and analyze them that you see they don’t say what you want them to say.

Essentially, they do not modify anything, or at least not the word that you want to alter.

Here are some examples. Click the modifiers to see different ways you could alter the sentence for clarity.

1. Knowing it would irritate her, pots and pans were banged together loudly.

2. Moving in a hurry, the train doors closed just after Amanda.

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Usage Part II: Miscellaneous

The follow up to the first section: we’re gonna cover some common words and terms that you don’t want to misuse in formal contexts.

I. IE vs EG

These two tripped me up for a long time; I didn’t even know there was a difference between them until recently! i.e. is used as clarification or specification, and e.g. is used to list examples (Fogarty 23).

Choose the right word to use:

1. He still had a lot of chores to do, i.e./e.g. his homework, the dishes, and laundry.

2. There are a lot of things you can do when you’re bored, i.e./e.g. draw, play videogames, or read a book. 

II. Farther vs Further

Farther refers to physical distance. Further refers to figurative distance (Fogarty 25).

Choose the right word to use:

1. He swore he’d collapse if he were to climb any farther/further up the stairs.

2. The telepath wanted to open his mind farther/further.

III. Less vs Fewer

Use less for mass nouns, which can’t be counted individually. Fewer is for count nouns, which can be counted individually (Fogarty 27).

This still trips me up, but Fogarty gives a helpful example sentence: “We need less furniture in this dance hall. Can we have fewer chairs?” (28).

Choose the right word to use:

1. For this office party, Fiona bought less/fewer boxes of pizza.

2. Maybe you should bake less/fewer bread.

IV. Like vs As

Yeah, there are rules for these two too! Use like when not followed by a verb. If the next clause/thought in the sentence has a verb, use as (Fogarty 37).

Pick the right word to use:

1. He seemed really pale, like/as the fresh snow outside.

2. Haru swam like/as a dolphin would.

V. That vs Which vs Who

Generally you figure out which to use via substitution. 

That is a restrictive clause -- if you get rid of that word specifically, it changes the meaning of the sentence. Otherwise, it’s safe to use which, often with commas (Fogarty 43). 

When choosing between that and who, just remember that who refers to a person, and that refers to an object (Fogarty 43).

Choose the right word to use:

1. The horse(,) that/which was easily frightened(,) started making a fuss in its stall.

2. Gwen did not want the book that/which weighed three pounds.

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Usage Part I: Verbs

Hello!

Usage is important when considering correct grammar: certain words have certain functions that might not be clear in everyday speech. Different levels of formality mean that there are different rules to be followed.

Let’s start with verb usage! Click to see if you got the right answer, it’ll lead you to a separate page that’ll explain further. (A separate page full of fun gifs!)

I. Brought vs Taken

This still trips me up sometimes, but the official rule is: “things are brought to the speaker and taken away from the speaker” (Fogarty 18).

Also, from some preliminary searches online: you take things to where you’re going -- you take them there; someone brings things to where you already are, you bring them here.

Choose the right verb:

1. Samantha brought/took the homework from her students.

2. It didn’t matter what they brought/took to the patient; he was in a bad mood all day long.

3. He couldn’t wait to bring/take his dog to the park.

II. Action Verbs and Linking Verbs

Action verbs describe actions, eg run, walk, eat. They use adverbs like “well” or “slowly.” Linking verbs connect words together, eg to be, appear, look. They use adjectives, like “ill” or “friendly” (Fogarty 30).

To check for linking verbs, replace the given verb with “to be” -- if it works, it is a linking verb (Fogarty 33).

Determine the type of verb:

1.  They danced wildly all night long.

2. He grabbed him by the shirt collar.

3. The student had not slept at all, but they seemed fine.

III. May vs Might

I didn’t know there was a difference between these two until recently!

If it is likely to happen, use may. If it isn’t as likely to happen, use might (Fogarty 39).

Decide the correct verb:

1. Pigs may/might fly one day.

2. He may/might not want to be a teacher.

3. The sun may/might be setting soon, but it’ll always rise again.

IV. Past vs Passed

Only one of these is a verb! They sound the same, but past is a noun, and passed is a verb (Fogarty 40).

Choose the right word:

1. Marco past/passed the point of no return.

2. It’s past/passed the supermarket down the road.

3. She stayed up past/passed her bedtime.

V. Subject vs Object

In a sentence, you usually have a subject and object. The subject in the sentence is the person/thing that is acting or doing something. The object is the person/thing having something done to them; it is receiving the action (Fogarty 46).

We can practice by using who/whom and whoever/whomever! (Who/whoever refers to the subject, and whom/whomever refers to the object) (Fogarty 50). 

For these sentences, the best way to go about them is to answer the question with he/him. Whichever makes sense in the sentence tells us which form of who to use. Who = he, and whom = him. It helps to remember that whom has an “m” at the end, like him, which you know is an objective pronoun -- you can only use it when it is receiving an action.

Choose the right form:

1. You can dance with whoever/whomever you want.

2. Who/whom is at the door?

3. Jasper is with who/whom?

VI. Hung vs Hanged

Use hanged for humans only; in all other cases, use hung (Fogarty 33).

VII. Pleaded Over vs Pled

Grammarians say that there’s no option here: pleaded over is preferred over pled (Fogarty 41).