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GrammarWatch©
WORDS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM?!
(IS THAT RIGHT?)"
There's a fine balance between people expressing theirselves and
their opinions.
—President Bush (from CNN Radio, 8/23/02 and 8/25/02)
| 1. |
We're in the business of loaning
money. |
| 2. |
This is the Smith resident. |
| 3. |
It has been motioned and second
that the meeting be adjourned. |
| 4. |
All total, the averages are low. |
| 5. |
We have already shown the video once. |
| 6. |
He dove into the pool. |
| 7. |
I wove them together. |
| 8. |
contact lens |
| 9. |
The cleaners shrunk the shirt. |
| 10. |
We snuck in through the side door. |
| 11. |
The movers drug the couch to the
patio. |
| 12. |
I have strived to do well. |
| 13. |
On the behalf of |
| 14. |
My UWF transcripts |
| 15. |
cool, calm, and collective |
| 16. |
the significance to that number |
| 17. |
I enjoy to travel. |
| 18. |
You need your driver licenses. |
| 19. |
dressed to the nine |
| 20. |
as a results |
| 21. |
wrecked havoc |
| 22. |
mistress of ceremony |
| 23. |
raving reviews |
| 24. |
I graduated UWF. |
| 25. |
two jury summonses |
| 26. |
gun-ho |
| 27. |
whole `nother issue |
FROM THE GRAMMAR GURU'S DESK
| 1. |
lending |
| 2. |
residence |
| 3. |
moved and seconded |
| 4. |
All told |
| 5. |
Both shown and showed are
correct past participle forms. |
| 6. |
Both dove and dived are
correct past tense forms. |
| 7. |
Both wove and weaved are
correct past tense forms. |
| 8. |
one - lens; two or more - lenses |
| 9. |
Correct. Also shrank |
| 10. |
Both snuck and sneaked are
correct past tense forms. |
| 11. |
dragged |
| 12. |
Both strived and striven are
correct past participle forms. |
| 13. |
On behalf of |
| 14. |
one transcript |
| 15. |
cool, calm, and collected OR calm, cool,
and collected |
| 16. |
the significance of that number |
| 17. |
traveling |
| 18. |
one driver license OR driver's license |
| 19. |
to the nines, meaning "to the
highest degree" |
| 20. |
as a result |
| 21. |
wreaked havoc |
| 22. |
mistress of ceremonies |
| 23. |
rave reviews |
| 24. |
I graduated from UWF. |
| 25. |
Correct |
| 26. |
gung-ho |
| 27. |
Correct slang expression (some use whole
other idea) |
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ON-THE-JOB GRAMMAR
TIPS
| Cannot
help but is a double negative. |
| INCORRECT: |
We cannot help but cut
our staff. |
| REVISED: |
We cannot avoid cutting
our staff. |
| Use fewer
with countable nouns and less with noncountable nouns. |
| Fewer members
took the offer than we expected. |
| Fewer
calories and less fat |
| Do not capitalize
working or professional titles such as principal, vice president,
sales associate, data clerk, and credit manager
unless they are used with a name. |
| Periods and commas are
always placed inside closing quotation marks. |
| The sales associate
presented her findings in an essay entitled "Marketing Strategies
in the 21st Century." |
| If you end
a sentence with an abbreviation, do not use an extra period. |
| INCORRECT: |
The seminar is from
8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m.. |
| REVISED: |
The seminar is from
8:00 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. |
| Don't use
the pronoun they without an antecedent. |
| INCORRECT: |
In this office, they
require you to type and edit all case studies. |
| REVISED: |
In this office,
employees are required to type and edit all case studies. |
| When
writing a comparison, use more for two; use most
for more than two. |
| INCORRECT: |
Of the three
applicants, she is more qualified. |
| REVISED: |
Of the three
applicants, she is the most qualified. |
| To make a
compound noun plural, change the form of the word that is clearly the
most important. Consult your dictionary. |
| statutes of
limitations |
|
bills of sale |
| passers-by |
|
sisters-in-law |
| attorneys
general |
or |
attorney generals |
| runners-up |
|
court martials |
| Collective nouns such
as team, committee, jury, group, band, choir, family, couple,
faculty, and staff may be singular or plural
depending on meaning: whether the members are considered collectively/as
a group (singular) or individually/individual members acting separately
(plural). |
| SINGULAR |
| A team of nurses is
treating the patient. |
| The couple was married
in 1955. |
| The jury has delivered
its verdict. |
| PLURAL |
| Our team of
professionals are very experienced. |
| The couple enjoy their
children and grandchildren. |
| The couple were
married in 1955. |
| The jury have gone
their separate ways. |
|
| IF A PRONOUN
FOLLOWS, USE IT AS A GUIDE. |
| The couple have
renovated their apartment. |
|