WHICH WITCH GOES WITH WHICH? NEITHER / NOR ME, MYSELF, OR I KNOW: GRAMMAR, USAGE, AND PUNCTUATION FOR BUSINESS WRITING

Friday, March 12, 2010

Agenda Review of Pop Quiz Blood and Thunder – The Grammar,

Usage, and Punctuation Bee Wrap Up

Intervening Phrases

Remove the intervening phrase “as well as the students” to determine the verb “teacher”.

The teacher, as well as the students, are/is expected to attend the presentation.

is

Who - Whom

Next word NOT verb or adverb – use WHOM

Next word IS a verb or adverb – use WHO

Remember WHO for subjects

Whom for objects

Jeff, Who/Whom the university is considering for the position, is out of town.

Whom

Number Use

Time, money, decimals, percents, fractions, and measurements are always written as numerals.

The meteorologist called for a five / 5 % chance of rain.

5

Pronoun in the middle

Break the sentence apart to see what makes sense:

Janet likes to wear matching outfits.

Her / She likes to wear matching outfits.

Janet and her / she like to wear matching outfits.

she

Compound Subject

Two subjects combined with an ‘and’ make a compound. Compounds require a plural verb.

Jim’s house and barn has / have been painted every year.

have

Pronoun at the end

Finish the thought to determine the better choice:

Liz got a better grade on the follow-up test than

I did.

Me did.

Liz got a better grade on the follow-up test than I / me.

I

Common Misuse

Accept - To receive

Except - To exclude

He accepted / excepted the diploma.

accepted

Common Misuse

Affect – to influence

Effect - result

The storm had a negative affect / effect on road conditions.

affect

Common Misuse

Farther – physical distance

Further – suggest degree

How much farther / further is it until we get there?

farther

Compound Adjective

Use hyphens to indicate words combined to form a compound adjective.

She is such a by the book person.

She is such a by-the-book person.

Commas in a Series

Use commas between items in a series. The commas should go between each item – including items separated by an ‘and’.

Ask the administrator to order printer cartridges paper clips copier paper and pencils.

Ask the administrator to order printer cartridges, paper clips, copier paper, and pencils.

Items in a Series With Internal CommasSemi-colons can link two independent phrases (those that have both a subject and verb) and commas separate items in a series.

The class was attended by Tom Phillips President Carmela Cataudella- Sanzone Director Human Resources and Ken Schneider Vice President of Product Management.

The class was attended by Tom Phillips, President; Carmela Cataudella-Sanzone, Director Human Resources; and Ken Schneider, Vice President of Product Management.

Colons

Link complete and incomplete thoughts (only one has a subject and verb) with a colon.

I have a great idea for a new membership incentive free cheese!

I have a great idea for a new membership incentive: free cheese!

Introductory Dependant ClauseWhen an incomplete thought falls at the beginning of a sentence, separate it from the rest of the sentence with a comma.

When I suggested your name for the position he agreed you were an excellent candidate.

When I suggested your name for the position, he agreed you were an excellent candidate.

Compound SentencesTwo complete thoughts combined with a conjunctionFANBOYS - for – and – nor – but – or – yet – so

I went to the class but I did not have a chance to study afterwards.

I went to the class, but I did not have a chance to study afterwards.

A Grammar, Punctuation, and Useage Bee (Participants face off two at a time to call out the right answer. Last student standing wins!)

BLOOD AND THUNDER

Would you like less / fewer raisins in your cereal?

fewer Less - small in amount or degree,

used with jobs or indivisible mass Fewer - small in number, used with

countable objects

All together / altogether now, gang, sing out!

all together All together - applied to people or

things as a group Altogether - Entirely

Abuse of the word ‘literally’, what she means to say is ‘figuratively’. What’s wrong in the bold sentences below? Kristen Stewart (of Twilight movie fame) A Web Log:

The moment Weitz was hired, he was thrown into the debate about whether Lautner should reprise his role as Jacob. Was this eager young actor right for such a steep character arc, and able to transform from wide-eyed boy to beastly monster? ”If there was one thing that we were petrified of, going into New Moon, it was the casting decision of Jacob,” says Godfrey. The filmmakers eventually tapped Lautner again, partly because he had a fan not just in Weitz but in Kristen Stewart. ”It’s completely understandable why they wanted to make sure he was right,” says the actress, 19. ”He was so young, 16, so I got it. But I knew he had [to do] it. Just because of how I felt around him. I literally saw Jacob in him.” And how did the Bella-Jacob chemistry play out on set? ”We have that relationship,” she says. ”It’s lamely cute. I love that kid. I would do anything for him. I would kill for him, literally.

Frank’s illusions / allusions to past mistakes began to offend his boss.

allusions Illusions – a perception, perceived

different from reality Allusions - Indirect references

Her matching purse was the perfect compliment / complement to her shoes.

complement Compliment - Give expression of

praise or admiration Complement - To complete

I fought the monkey and won ; / . Also I never kiss rats on the mouth.

. Use a semi-colons when you want to form a

bond between two clauses that are related or that you’d like to contrast.

A jury should be comprised of uninterested / disinterested parties.

disinterested Disinterested - Unbiased or

impartial Uninterested - Not interested or

indifferent

Who’s the premiere / premier roller derby league in all the land? Premier

Premiere – opening night Premier – Eminent or important

The boys waited in line, riding the swing and pushing alternately / alternatively.

alternately Alternately - In turn, one after

another Alternatively - On the other hand

Use apostrophes to indicate possession, not plurals. What’s wrong in this photo?

It’s wise to stay a discreet / discrete distance from angry bulls when wearing red.

Discreet Discreet - Prudent, circumspect,

modest Discrete - Separate or individually

distinct

Tom, whom / who we all think of as a winner, was left out of the awards ceremony.

Whom Use ‘Who’ when the next word is a verb or

adverb. Use ‘Whom’ when the next word is not a

verb or adverb.

We traveled 4 / four –miles in 24 / twenty-four hours.

4 24 Ten or lower – write out the number 11 or higher – use numerals If there are conflicting rules in one

sentence, make them both numerals

Caution Wet Floor What should this

photo say?

We need to be much more customer friendly, / ; it will increase good will.

; Use a semi-colon to link two independent

phrases (both have subject and verb)

Please forward this check to Finance / finance.

finance Capitalize proper names, for instance,

Finance Department.

Politics is/are my favorite subject. is

If you can’t eliminate the “s”, it is a singular collective noun, so use the singular.

I could of / have gone to the movies Saturday.

have ‘Could of’ is a result of phoenetic spelling of

the contraction ‘could have’ and is incorrect.

Quotation marks are used for quotation, irony, title or to imply unusual usage – none of which are the case here.

What’s wrong in the photo?

My aunt’s reptilian gaze is unsettling, / ; so I have no desire to look into her eyes.

, Don’t use a semi-colon with a conjunction

(For – And – Not – But – Or – Yet - So) even to join two independent clauses.

Come toward / towards the light. Toward

Towards is not a word in American English.

Wrap up What else may you need help with

concerning professional writing? What one or two things are you taking

with you from the class and follow-up?