Grammar Tips

Here is a compilation of the grammar tips I offered at my previous blog, The Right Point. I’ll be blogging about grammar on Fridays:

• You flout the speed limit by continuing to ignore it. You flaunt your speedy car by showing off its ability to break the speed limit.
• “Peruse” means to read carefully. It is often misused to mean “to glance over quickly.”
• Here’s a helpful list of reference sources from Webgrammar.com.
• A levee is a structure built to raise the height of a river’s banks. A levy is a tax, fine or assessment.
• I recently saw someone write that a person had come within a hare’s breath of winning a job, meaning the person was close but didn’t get the job. The correct phrase is “a hair’s breadth.” A hair is really thin, so if you come within a hair’s breadth of something, you’ve come really close.
• A regimen is a system of order and often refers to a systematic dosing of medicine. A regiment is a military unit.
• A bazaar is a marketplace. Something odd or unusual is bizarre.
• I passed a car on the road this morning. That event occurred in the past.
• Know the difference between “apprise” and “appraise.” When you estimate the value of something, you appraise it. When you inform people of a situation, you apprise them of it.
• To flounder is to be clumsy, confused or indecisive. A flounder is also a type of fish. To founder is to fill with water and sink. Ships founder; sometimes, CEOs flounder.
• Hordes of people can run amok. Miserly people hoard their wealth.
• A contingent is a representative group. A contingency is a possible event.
• Make sure you say that someone is supposed to do something, not that he is suppose to do something.
• Don’t capitalize a person’s title when it follows the person’s name. For example, President Barack Obama visited our city. Barack Obama, president of the United States, visited our city.
• “Neither” and “either” both take singular verbs. For example: Neither of them has arrived. Either of them is acceptable.
• Set off state names (after cities) and years (after dates) with commas. I was in New York, New York, on Sept. 12, 2001, one day after the World Trade Center bombing.
• Adverse means unfavorable, contrary or hostile. Averse means having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy or repugnance. If you sail despite adverse weather conditions, you are not averse to risk.
• A desert is a waterless area. A dessert is a sweet treat.
• Tighten your writing by getting rid of intensifiers such as “very,” “definitely,” “truly” and “extremely. Unless you’re writing dialogue, you don’t need them.
• A nice tie complements a suit. If you tell the wearer you like his tie, you’re paying him a compliment. Free tickets are complimentary, not complementary.
• When you emigrate, you exit a country. When you immigrate, you go into a country.
• An adage is a saying that sets forth a general truth and has gained standing through long use. Almost by definition, an adage is old, so it’s redundant to talk about “an old adage.”
• People often say they could care less about something. They really mean they could not care less.
• I’ve avoided discussing when to use “compare to” versus “compare with” because, I thought, it would be an extremely long grammar tip. Grammar Girl, however, recently offered a succinct discussion of the topic. Go here to read it.
• “Elicit” means to bring out or evoke. As a reporter, I often elicited information from sources. “Illicit” means unlawful. Keep the two words straight!
• The capital of a state is the city that serves as the seat of government. The capitol is the building in which legislators meet.
• You can incite a riot, and you can have insight into a problem. Don’t confuse the two words.
• “Beside” means “next to,” as in “Come stand beside me.” “Besides” means “in addition to” or “also,” as in “What are you studying besides math?” and “He was ill-prepared, and besides, he came late.”
• The word “momentarily” means “for a moment,” not “in a moment.” So, I momentarily forgot where I put my keys, but we won’t be landing momentarily. We’ll be landing in a moment.
• There’s no need to say, “The reason why I did it was to stop the bleeding.” Just say, “The reason I did it was to stop the bleeding.” Even better: “I did it to stop the bleeding.” The fewer words, the better.
• Something can be heavily damaged, or it can be destroyed. Never say, however, that something has been “completely destroyed.” The phrase is redundant.
• The past tense of “drag” is “dragged,” not “drug.” Use the word “drug” only when referring to a medicinal substance.
• This tip is courtesy of Susan Pepperdine in Kansas City. The words “podium” and “lectern” can’t be used interchangeably. A podium is a raised platform on which you stand to give a speech. A lectern is the piece of furniture you stand behind as you speak. (Remember that “pod” is the Latin root word for “foot,” and you place your foot on a podium.)
• Use “all together” when you mean “together in a single group”: “We were able to walk all together.” Use “altogether” when you mean “in all” or “completely”: “There were 10 of us altogether, counting Ed.” Or, “He was altogether confused by the situation.”
• The letters “ATM” stand for “automated teller machine.” Saying that you’re going to the ATM machine is, therefore, redundant. Just say you’re going to the ATM.
• Use the modifier “only” with precision. It’s not precise to say, “The budget can only be balanced if programs are cut.” Instead, say, “The budget can be balanced only if programs are cut.”
• Which phrase is correct – “in regards to” or “in regard to”? The second is correct, but it’s best to avoid it as well. There are simpler, more direct ways  to express the same sentiment. For example, instead of writing, “This letter is in regard to your telephone call of March 5,” just say, “This letter concerns your telephone call of March 5” or “I’m writing about your telephone call of March 5.”
• In recent years, the word “learnings” has become part of the corporate lexicon. It’s silly and pretentious. Use the word “lessons” instead.
• You’d never say, “The boss came to visit I,” so don’t say, “The boss came to visit John and I.” The pronoun is the direct object of the verb “to visit,” so you want to say, “The boss came to visit John and me.”
• There’s no need to say “oftentimes.” The word “often” will suffice.
• Keep related words together, or you’ll confuse your reader. Don’t say, “He noticed a large dent in the car that was on the side.” Say, “He noticed a large dent on the side of the car.”
• People often mistakenly use the word “if” when they really mean “whether.” Use “if” to express a condition: You may borrow my car if you have proof of insurance. Use “whether” to express alternatives: She didn’t know whether she should go or not.
• Here are nine great grammar sites.
• The phrase “in regard to” is often incorrectly written as “in regards to.” The phrase “as regards” is correct, however, and means the same thing.
• Are you still unsure about whether you can start a sentence with “And” or “But”? Relax. You’ll find some good advice about this at Get It Write.
• Take some time to review Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. You’ll see something new every time you read it.
• She wasn’t enthused about her new job. She was enthusiastic.
• The word “personally” is usually unnecessary. It adds nothing, for example, to this sentence: “Personally, I think it’s the best movie I’ve seen.”
• “Disinterested” means impartial. “Uninterested” means “not interested in.” A judge should disinterested as he hears a case. He should never be uninterested.
• Use the word “very” sparingly. Instead, when you want to emphasize something, choose strong words. For example, don’t say, “He was very angry.” Say, “He was livid.” Your writing will take on more power.
• You don’t need to be obsessive about not ending sentences with prepositions. It’s better to do so than to write a tortured, convoluted sentence. As Winston Churchill once said, “That’s the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.” When you can easily avoid it, however, do so. For example, instead of saying, “What do you want to do that for?”, you could say, “Why do you want to do that?”
• Place modifiers as closely as possible to the words they modify. For example, don’t say, “The young girl was walking the dog in a short skirt.” Say, “The young girl in a short skirt was walking the dog.”
• A friend of mine told me the other day that he liked the “tact” I took in writing a book review. He didn’t mean my diplomacy but rather the approach I took to the review. The word he should have used was “tack.” It’s a sailing term that means “the heading or position of a vessel relative to the trim of its sails.” More broadly, it has come to mean an approach or a course of action.
• Don’t say, “The sun shined yesterday.” Say, “The sun shone yesterday.” If you’re confused about the various forms of irregular verbs, check out Rules for Using Irregular Verbs at Grammar Bytes.
• “Irregardless” is not a word. At best, it’s a nonstandard word. Use “regardless,” and you’ll be on safe ground.
• You wouldn’t say “the way how we do this ….” You’d say “the way we do this” or more formally, “the way that we do this ….” Similarly, don’t say “the reason why this happened ….” Instead, say “the reason this happened,” or more formally, “the reason that this happened ….”
• Do you get confused about when to use “that” or “which”? “That” is a defining pronoun, and “which” is a nondefining pronoun. For example, “the lawnmower that is in the garage is broken” defines that it’s the lawnmower in the garage that’s broken, not the one in the alley or the yard. On the other hand, “the lawnmower, which is in the garage, is broken,” just adds an additional bit of information about the one and only lawnmower being discussed.
• Know the difference between “comprise” and “compose.” A rock comprises three minerals, or it is composed of three minerals, but it is never comprised of three minerals. The whole comprises the parts. The parts compose the whole.
• Your writing almost always can be shortened. For example, “he is a man who is ambitious” becomes “he is ambitious.” Brevity creates powerful writing, so take time to eliminate unneeded words. I’ve shortened pieces by 30 percent or more just by editing.
• Usually, when a noun or pronoun precedes a gerund (a verb used as a noun), it should take the possessive form. Don’t say, “Do you mind me asking you a question?” Instead, say, “Do you mind my asking you a question?”
• “Preventive” is an adjective. “Preventative” is a noun. For example: Preventive medicine promotes vitamin C as an effective preventative against colds.
• Don’t say, “He’s taller than me.” Say, “He’s taller than I.”
• “Premier” means first, best or most important. For example: “She was the premier violinist in the orchestra.” “Premiere” refers to the first performance, exhibition or screening of a film, a piece of music or a work of art. For example: “I attended the premiere of ‘Star Wars.'”
• “Hopefully” means full of hope. It would be correct to say, “They listened hopefully for some indication that the rescue party was on its way.” It is incorrect to say, “Hopefully, they will arrive soon.” Instead, just say, “I hope they will arrive soon.”
• There’s no reason to say, “He ran off of the road.” Just say, “He ran off the road.” “Off” is a preposition all by itself. It doesn’t need any help. The same is true of “outside,” “inside” and many other prepositions that people follow with “of.”
• It’s incorrect to say that a car is the most unique on the road. “Unique” means “without like or equal.” Anything that is unique, by definition, is one of a kind and in a class by itself. Therefore, nothing can be more unique or most unique. The car is simply unique. If it’s not unique, but it’s special, it might be rare or unusual.
• Use the word “farther” to talk about distance. Use the word “further” to refer to time or quantity. You can throw a ball farther than someone else, but you pursue a subject further.
• If you want to say someone is impartial, the correct word is “disinterested.” If you want to say the person doesn’t care, the correct word is “uninterested.”
• A discussion can “center on” an issue, or it can “revolve around” an issue. It can’t “center around” an issue. Try to visualize these ideas, and you’ll see what I mean.
• It’s natural and acceptable to say and write, “What did you step on?” Don’t torture a sentence to death simply to make sure it doesn’t end with a preposition. As Winston Churchill said, “That’s the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.”
• “Infeasible” means that something is not capable of being carried out or put into practice. It’s infeasible to build a bridge between New York and London. “Untenable” means indefensible or unsustainable. The idea that the earth is flat proved to be untenable as the evidence mounted against it. Juggling 20 plates proved to be an untenable feat.
• There’s no reason to say “modern-day.” The word “modern” will suffice in all cases. In this modern world of Twitter and short attention spans, save yourself and your readers the trouble of wading through four additional characters.
• The word “presently” doesn’t mean “now.” It means “soon.” If you mean to say that nothing is happening now, say, “At present, nothing is happening.”
• Make sure you know the difference between “accurate” and “precise.” You might say that you’re more than six feet tall, and you’d be accurate. To be precise, however, you should say that you’re 6’2″ tall.
• What’s proper to say, a “good-paying job” or a “well-paying job?” You need  an adverb to modify the present participle, “paying,” so “well-paying job” is the correct choice. Personally, though, I think the best choice is a “well-paid job.”
• Don’t misuse “less” and “fewer.”  Use “less” when you’re writing about uncountable nouns, or nouns with no plural form. For example, you would say, “I have less money than he does.” Use fewer when you’re dealing with items that can be counted. For example, “There were fewer people in this city 10 years ago than there are today.”
• There is a difference between “continuous” and “continual.” “Continuous” should be used when you want to say that something is continuing in space or time without interruption. For example, the continuous gas line had no breaks in it, or the continuous hum of the engine gave me a headache. “Continual” should be used when something happens intermittently or in intervals. For example, the continual banging of the shutter in the wind gave me a headache.
• Let’s discuss “principal” and “principle.” “Principal” can have three meanings. If you take out a loan, the portion of your payment that isn’t interest is principal. The person who heads a school is a principal. The main or major reason is also the principal reason. “Principle,” on the other hand, has to do with guidelines, rules or moral laws. A basic principle of gravity is that what goes up must come down. I can’t cheat on my taxes because it’s against my principles.
• Recently, I heard someone talk about a “mute point.” The word she wanted was “moot,” not “mute,” which means “remaining silent.” A moot point is one that has been deprived of practical significance or made irrelevant by changing circumstances. For example, because your parents’ medical bills depleted their estate, the percentage of your inheritance has become a moot point.
• Let’s review “council,” “counsel” and “consul.” A deliberative body, such as the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, is a council. One who gives you advice is a counselor. A consul is a local representative of a foreign government. Accept my counsel on this matter, and you won’t go astray.
• Let’s go over “cite,” “site” and “sight.” You cite an author in a footnote. You visit a Web site or go to the site of an accident. You sight a UFO, which would be an amazing sight. See?
• The differences between “lie” and “lay” are hard for most people to keep straight. Start with the understanding that “lie” in the present tense means to recline, while “lay” means to put down. (“I lie down, but I lay my wallet on the table.”) It gets trickier because “lay” is also the past tense of “lie.” (“Today I lie down, yesterday I lay down.”) I’m not lying; this is all true.
• Many people get confused about how to use the words “affect” and “effect.” If you’re looking for a verb, “affect” is almost always the word you want. (“This disease will affect millions of people.”) If you’re looking for a noun, you want “effect.” (“This disease will have the effect of closing thousands of schools.”) “Effect” can be a verb in rare instances, if you’re trying to convey that you want to make something happen. (“We will effect the change within the next two weeks.”)
• I’m always amazed by how many people misuse the words “it’s” and “its.” Just remember: “It’s” is always a contraction, and it means “it is.” “Its” is the possessive form of “it,” and it has parallels in such words as “his,” “hers” and “yours.” Here’s how to use these words properly: “It’s always funny when the dog chases its tail.” Go and do likewise!