Grammar-ease: It’s/who’s vs its/whose

Here is a grammar refresher on using it’s/its and who’s/whose.

It’s extremely common to see mistaken use of it’s and its, but this is a simple rule:

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” Period. Only use it’s to replace “it is” or “it has.” Its is possessive and means belonging to it.

And similarly:

Who’s is a contraction for “who is” or “who has.” Period. Whose is possessive and means belonging to who.

Those are simple, right?

Other possessive pronouns don’t have apostrophes: theirs, ours, yours, my, his, hers. For instance, we don’t write:                     But we do write:

• The camping gear is their’s.               The camping gear is theirs.
• Those kayaks are our’s.                       Those kayaks are ours.
• That assignment is your’s.                  That assignment is yours.
• My’s bicycle still looks new.              My bicycle still looks new.
• His’s car barely runs.                            His car barely runs.
• Her’s prom dress is gorgeous.           Her prom dress is gorgeous.
• It’s nest.                                                      Its nest.
• Who’s gloves are these?                       Whose gloves are these?

See if you can pick the correct answers:

1. It’s/its time to give the dog it’s/its bath.
2. Who’s/whose going to drive me to the mall?
3. It’s/its the most versatile ingredient to work with.
4. I don’t know who’s/whose dog this is.
5. It’s/its siding had blown off during the storm.
6. Who’s/whose cooking dinner?
7. The truck was missing it’s/its door.
8. Who’s/whose side are you on?
9. It’s/its okay to be confused.
10. An idea who’s/whose time has come.
11. The tree has lost all it’s/its leaves.

Answers:

1. It’s / its
2. Who’s
3. It’s
4. whose
5. Its
6. Who’s
7. its
8. whose
9. It’s
10. whose
11. its

Does this help clarify when to use it’s/who’s and its/whose?

Thank you for the suggestions so far. What other grammar topics would you like help with? Let me know in the comments!

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer, editor, journalist, and chocolate lover. She loves working with words and helps businesses with theirs. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Grammar-ease: Then versus than

Last week’s post on the difference between “lay” and “lie” garnered a couple of suggestions for grammar topics, so here’s one: how to know when to use “then” and when to use “than.”

The two words can sound alike when used in conversation, which, I think, leads to most of the confusion.

Do you know which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. You reacted a lot more calmly then I would have.
• B. You reacted a lot more calmly than I would have.

How about which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. Apples are bigger then grapes.
• B. Apples are bigger than grapes.

And one more set. Which of these 2 sentences is correct?

• A. I bought a dress at Macy’s and then went to JC Penney’s for shoes.
• B. I bought a dress at Macy’s and than went to JC Penney’s for shoes.

Then refers to sequences in time. It tells when something happened.

• I washed the dishes, and then I dried the dishes, and then I put the dishes away.
• Finish your homework, then you can go out to play.
• The kitten tangled himself in the yarn, then jumped in the box.
• Once upon a time, boy met girl, fell in love, and then lived happily ever after.
• Until then, let’s stay where we are.

Than is a comparison word.

• I would rather watch this movie than exercise.
• Lilacs are more aromatic to me than lilies.
• Rather than walking on the beach, how about we cycle up the seacoast?
• Five is more than four.
• Cats are more independent than dogs.
• His writing is more formal than mine.

*Here’s a trick if you need a little more help:

When I need to pause to figure out usage as I’m writing, I remember “rather than,” because that turn of phrase sticks in my head and I know ‘than’ is to compare one thing to another. Or the phrase “and then and then and then” which I hear in my mind as a teenage girl’s voice telling me about her day, and it triggers ‘sequence’ for me.

**Or here’s another trick:

“Then” relates to “time” (both have an ‘e’). “Than” is a “comparison” (both have an ‘a’).

Did any of these suggestions help cement the different between then and than for you?

(Answers to the 3 pairings: B, B, A)

What other grammar topics would you like help with? Let me know in the comments!

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer, editor, journalist, and chocolate lover. She loves working with words and helps businesses with theirs. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Grammar-ease: Lay versus Lie

I haven’t had a grammar post in a while, so here’s a new one!

A particularly challenging one for many people, the conundrum of lay versus lie. 

Lay is an active verb. A person picks up a book and lays it on a chair. A chicken lays an egg. (The person and chicken are active.)

Lie is a still verb. People lie on beds. Cats lie on people. Fleas lie on cats. (The people, cats, and fleas are still.)

——————————————————————————————————

Lay: to place or set something.

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect progressive (action continues for a while)
Present	I layYou layHe/she/it laysThey lay	I am layingYou are layingShe is layingThey are laying	I have laidYou have laidShe has laidThey have laid	I have been layingYou have been layingShe has been layingThey have been laying
Past	I laidYou laidShe laidThey laid	I was layingYou were layingShe was layingThey were laying	I had laidYou had laidShe had laidThey had laid	I had been layingYou had been layingShe had been layingThey had been laying
Future	I will layYou will layShe will layThey will lay	I will be layingYou will be layingShe will be layingThey will be laying	I will have laidYou will have laidShe will have laidThey will have laid	I will have been layingYou will have been layingShe will have been layingThey will have been laying

——————————————————————————————-

Lie: to recline or repose somewhere.

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect progressive (action continues for a while)
Present	I lieYou lieHe/she/it liesThey lie	I am lyingYou are lyingShe is lyingThey are lying	I have lainYou have lainShe has lainThey have lain	I have been lyingYou have been lyingShe has been lyingThey have been lying
Past	I layYou layShe layThey lay	I was lyingYou were lyingShe was lyingThey were lying	I had lainYou had lainShe had lainThey had lain	I had been lyingYou had been lyingShe had been lyingThey had been lying
Future	I will lieYou will lieShe will lieThey will lie	I will be lyingYou will be lyingShe will be lyingThey will be lying	I will have lainYou will have lainShe will have lainThey will have lain	I will have been lyingYou will have been lyingShe will have been lyingThey will have been lying

Here are some great tips to help remember the differences, from Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.:

• Think of to lay the same way as to say and to pay. We say (today)  ”I pay”, “I say,” (yesterday) “I paid”, “I said,” and “I have paid,” “I have said.” To lay works the same way: lay, laid, laid.
• Substitute the word place or put. If the sentence sounds right, you want lay; otherwise, you want lie. Is this okay?: You place the book on the table. Yes. Therefore, You lay the book on the table. How about this: You place in your bed at night. No. Therefore, You lie in your bed at night.
• My favorite: No one ever says that chickens lie eggs. Chickens are active and lay eggs, so visualize the action when you are writing about how you lay out a rug, or lay down your book.
• Lie is a quiet or still word. A fun ditty from the book: At night, I turn out my light and lie. (I’m going to lie down for a nap.) Whether it’s on a couch, beach blanket, or bed, if you are quietly reclining, you’re lying (not laying).

What do you think? Helpful?

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment to let me know.

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer, editor, journalist, and chocolate lover. She loves working with words and helps businesses with theirs. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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My Writing Bible

          Rather than make good on the promise with which I ended my last post [subordinate clause], to further explain coordination and subordination in prose [infinitive phrase] and risk losing my readers before the end of this complex, compound sentence [subordinate clause], I’m simply going to make a confession [independent clause]: While in theological matters I’m agnostic at best [subordinate clause], in matters of grammar [prepositional phrase], I’m a fundamentalist [independent clause], and my bible is The Harbrace College Handbook from 1984 [independent clause].

I received my first Harbrace along with my first teaching assignment: Freshman Composition, a required course, at Columbia University, where I was earning my PhD. I’d never taken such a course, and I knew nothing about participial phrases or independent clauses before I had to teach them. Harbrace saved me.

I’d read enough to know what sounded right; Harbrace gave me the rules – and I taught them to my students with the evangelical fervor of the newly converted. My enthusiasm was helpful in keeping my students awake at eight in the morning; assignments from The Book, I suspect, kept some of these students awake at night. Like it or not, students did the exercises. They learned to recognize phrases and subordinate clauses; to identify main clauses and various types of sentences, to avoid sentence fragments and run-ons, and to master techniques for effective emphasis and style.

Harbrace was our foundation text, and it gave us the vocabulary of grammar as well as the symbols I used in the margins of their papers to indicate “wordiness” (W), “awkwardness” (K), “coherence” (COH), as well as the more commonplace SP for “spelling.” My edition has a handy, alphabetical list of these symbols inside the back cover, symbols I still use when editing my own work or that of my peers.

The Book is not all grammar, however. It includes sections on Mechanics, Punctuation, Diction, Effective Sentences and Larger Elements. Look ahead for future posts on these elements of language that all writers need to control in order to write effectively for their intended audience.    

I started teaching in 1983 – the last year that Columbia was all male. The following year, women entered the class, and a new edition of Harbrace came out. It’s this ninth edition that I keep going back to, even though there have been nine more editions since then. I wasn’t aware of grammar changing so much in the last thirty years, but the current, 18^th edition has 848 pages; my ninth edition has only 586. The Eighteenth also lists for a whopping $118 – but of course can be found discounted on line.  Used copies of earlier editions are much less expensive; my beloved Ninth can be found for just pennies.

I still use my Harbrace whenever I teach, whether it be in a prison classroom, a writers’ workshop, or a blog post. I also use it whenever I want to remind myself about one of those gnarly grammatical rules governing relative pronouns that [which?] always leave me uncertain.

Let me be clear: I don’t believe in strict orthodoxy, nor do I think everyone has to genuflect to Harbrace or Strunk & White or The Chicago Manual of Style. In fact, in literary fiction, there are good, strong, arguments for breaking the rules. Language is just the building material; how you use it is what matters.

That said, let me also say that most writing, especially most expository writing, is a matter of exchanging information and opinions, and some adherence to what is known as Standard English is often best for that. And every magazine, journal, academic field and paying editorial market will adhere to a style sheet. As always in writing, it’s paramount to know your audience and use the format they recognize as holy.

Deborah Lee Luskin is novelist, essayist and educator. She is a regular commentator for Vermont Public Radio, a Visiting Scholar for the Vermont Humanities Council and the author of the award winning novel, Into The Wilderness. For more information, visit her website at www.deborahleeluskin.com

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Grammar-ease – When the words outpace the fingers

As writers, we’re always working with words. Right? No surprise. And even if we know what we want to say, it’s not always the case that the fingers can keep up with the brain.

Do you ever have this problem: the story/article is gelling in your mind and it needs to reach the page – NOW. Not 5 minutes from now, not after you’ve showered or had your breakfast. But have you ever experienced a time when the words start flowing like white water rapids and you grab a pad and pen or open a blank document and get those fingers over the keyboard and start capturing what you can?

When I get in this mode (which is great, I think, and thankfully not too common), I’ll be typing as fast as I can and start munging words together – because there isn’t a pause button for the characters’ voices in my head. I can’t rewind the words, and darn it if times like these don’t produce “the best” turn of phrase imaginable. Right?

When I’m chasing after my thoughts, if I don’t type fast enough, I end up creating funky words – a creative mix of 2-3 words that Word immediately highlights as a spelling error.

Also when I’m in the try-to-keep-up-with-the-thoughts mode, I end up typing variations of words – for instance “there” when I know it should be “their” or “they’re,” but I just type what is fastest and is best phonetically. The same happens with “your” instead of “you’re” when my brain is in overdrive.

“Lose” when it should be “loose” is another. Sometimes I just don’t have time for that second ‘o’.

When I’m writing to like that, which I actually refer to it as a ‘brain dump’, but it’s probably more PC to call it ‘brain download’, but I had these moments before I had computers, so, old dogs and all that… when I’m in that fast mode of writing, I muffle the internal editor with duct tape and shove him in a closet and lock the door (funny, I just realized the internal editor is male and my muse is female – that’s a topic for another post). Anyway, when I’m typing fast, I let myself do whatever is needed to get the words on the page and then I hope to catch all the typos before the final product is submitted.

In this post alone, which wasn’t overly fast, I had words such as “femail”, “fingrsca nkeep” and “chas in gafter”.

Do you ever type so fast to keep up with your thoughts that you create new words, or find yourself spelling phonetically? Or does something else happen when your fingers are chasing the invisible words? I’m curious to know.

(If you want to see what happens when you type fast, try writeordie.com. There’s various functionality you can play with, but one setting is that your words start getting erased if you pause for too long. Another is an obnoxious noise sounding. It’s fun!)

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent editor and writer who gives herself a lot of chuckles through word play. She’s also a New England region journalist and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom. 

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Grammar-ease: Comma power

The comma. It’s such an easy piece of punctuation to leave out or add to a sentence, but it can have a powerful effect on meaning. I hope this post shows you just how much the correctly placed comma matters.

Take this favorite line: Let’s eat Grandma. Unless the Big Bad Wolf is talking, the line should be Let’s eat, Grandma. The motto with this one is ‘commas save lives.’

Another favorite example is an actual book title on the topic of punctuation: Eats, Shoots & Leaves. A panda eats, shoots & leaves. I always get a chuckle from this one because it’s so visual for me. Does he have a big meal before shooting and leaving? It’s great fodder for a mystery writer. Remove the comma, and see how the line changes. Eats Shoots and Leaves. Makes much more sense, doesn’t it? Pandas certainly eat bamboo shoots. And they can leave.

Ever see the road sign that depicts children crossing the street? The sign reads Slow children crossing.  Children tend to have a lot of energy, for them to be slow when crossing the street, well, I don’t see it. The text should be: Slow, children crossing. Drivers may not heed the sign without the comma in place.

I couldn’t resist including this:.

Image from HCHG Golf Society

Another popular example is a teacher asking the class to punctuate this line correctly. A woman without her man is nothing.  Apparently all the boys wrote: A woman, without her man, is nothing. All the girls wrote: A woman: without her, man is nothing. Can you see how powerful the comma is? And how the writer’s perspective has an effect?

A British newspaper printed this line: The defendant said his barrister had a history of drug abuse. The same newspaper then printed a correction: The defendant, said his barrister, had a history of drug abuse.  Big difference between the two, isn’t there?

Commas can help your readers figure out which words go together in a sentence and which parts of the sentences are the most important. Missing commas tend to confuse the reader. As a writer, you want your readers to keep moving forward on the page, so avoid confusion when  you can.

Do you enjoy working with commas? Do you notice examples like the above either in  your own writing, or when you’re reading? 

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent editor, writer, New England region journalist, and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom. 

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Grammar-ease: Prepositions

Definition:

The preposition is a word that shows how a noun or pronoun relates to another part of a sentence. A preposition modifies a noun or pronoun by describing the relationship between it and the rest of the sentence.

Examples of prepositions include (this is not a complete list):

• In
• Into
• On
• Onto
• Of
• By
• For
• With
• Between
• During
• From
• About
• Until

Confusing/misued prepositions:

Among versus between. The difference is purely numerical. If it’s a choice involving more than 2 things, use among. If it’s a choice involving 2 (and only 2) things, use between.

Example:

(3 choices)

She had to choose between going caroling, eating another slice of pie, and taking a shower.  (wrong)

She had to choose among going caroling, eating another slice of pie, and taking a shower.  (right)

(2 choices)

He had to choose among white lined and yellow lined paper.  (wrong)

He had to choose between white lined and yellow lined paper.  (right)

Except versus besides. I look at them as opposites. Except refers to being without, minus an object, or excluding something. Besides refers to being with, plus an object, or including something.

Example:

(he does not want “TV Guide”)

Robert requested all the magazines besides “TV Guide.”  (wrong)

Robert requested all the magazines except “TV Guide.”  (right)

(she plays all three instruments)

Except clarinet, Cherie plays flute and tuba.  (wrong)

Besides clarinet, Cherie plays flute and tuba.  (right)

A rule:

Ever hear never end a sentence with a preposition? It used to be a hard rule, but now the rule has softened its edges a bit. So you can take a breath and relax a bit. If you can reword a sentence to avoid a preposition as the last word, then I’d recommend it. But, if the sentence flows best with a little word at the end, go for it. At least that’s what I do.

A quick example:

I’m the one he is going to ride with.  (this is okay)

He’s going to ride with me.  (this is better)

A caveat:

If you can eliminate the preposition at the end of a sentence and the sentence still makes sense, then it’s cleaner writing to remove the unnecessary word.

For example:

Do you know where my skateboard is at?  (awkward)

Do you know where my skateboard is?  (best)

A couple sentences that make me grind my teeth when I hear them are “What up?” and “Where you at?”

Grammatically correct is:

“What is up?” (Or “What’s up?”)

“Where are you at?” (better, but awkward); “Where are you?” (best)

Another caveat:

If removing the preposition and rewording is awkward, then leave the preposition at the end.

For example:

What did you step on? or What did you step in?

“What did you step?” doesn’t make sense, and, even though grammatically correct, you most likely have never heard “On what did you step?” or ”In what did you step?” So it’s best to leave the preposition at the end.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment about it.

Lisa Jackson is an independent editor, writer, journalist, and chocolate lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis. © Lisa J. Jackson, 2011

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Grammar-ease: Active voice versus passive voice

I’m skipping the introduction this month. If you’re curious about previous grammar post introductions, please search older posts.

The introduction is being skipped this month. The older posts can be checked for previous grammar post introductions.

Did you just do a double take? The first two paragraphs are similar. Other than being repetitious, can you pick out which of the two paragraphs above contains active voice? Which one moves you right along? Which one has you yawning?

 

This month’s grammar tip investigates the difference between active voice and passive voice. It’s common to hear the rule ‘avoid passive voice.’ If you’re a writer, it’s a good rule to follow if you want to keep your reader engaged. There are times, however, when passive voice is fine. Honest. Read on.

Active voice is dynamic and the ‘doer’ of the action is obvious. Passive voice is, well, laid back and can leave questions in the reader’s mind as to who is doing what. The time to use passive voice is when you want to emphasize results instead of who achieved those results.

Check out the following examples and see what you think (passive is listed first).

• The ball was kicked.
• Scott kicked the soccer ball.

• The limo was driven by Mr. Boyd.
• Mr. Boyd drove the empty limo into a house.

• The project was managed effectively.
• Shelly and her team brought the project in under budget and ahead of schedule.

• The computer was repaired.
• I fixed my computer.

The following are examples of where you may find passive voice to be the preferred voice:

• My advice was followed.
• My students followed my advice.

• The water was heated to 185 degrees.
• She heated the water to 185 degrees.

• The convenient store was robbed.
• Unknown persons robbed the convenient store.

The overall rule for choosing active or passive is to use what best says what you mean.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment about it.

Lisa Jackson is an independent editor, writer, journalist, and chocolate lover. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis! © Lisa J. Jackson, 2011

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Grammar-ease: Ellipsis versus the em-dash

The ellipsis, three dots seen in text, signifies a pause within a character’s dialogue or missing text within quoted material.

The em-dash indicates an interruption in speech or to emphasize a phrase.

The ellipsis is always three dots: “…”.  Always three, no more and no less. Style guidelines vary as to whether or not to use an ending period if the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence. Some guidelines are satisfied with no final period.

The em-dash has history: in the day of the typewriter, an em-dash was represented by double hyphens amounting to the width of a capital “M” from the keyboard. With computers, you can format or insert an em-dash easily and it’s used to indicate an interruption within dialogue, or to emphasize a certain phrase. There is never a space before or after an em-dash.

I find examples helpful, so here are a few.

(1) Ellipsis and em-dash in dialogue:

“Jonathan, please, what I meant was…”

“What? What did you mean?”

Compare the above to this:

“Jonathan, please, what I meant was—”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. It’s too late.”

Can you see how the first example is the first speaker trailing off and the second example has the first speaker being cut off?

(2) Ellipsis and em-dash as pauses/breaks:

There it was again…that subtle, but creepy scratching.

There it was again—that loud, terrifying scratching.

(3) Ellipses are great for slowing the reader down within narrative: They gazed innocently into each other’s eyes until hesitantly…gently…they shared their first kiss.

Within documentation, ellipses are handy for shortening long text. Use the ellipsis to show missing words, whether only a few, several, or even a few sentences. For instance, if you find parts of Martin Luther King’s speech useful in making a point use an ellipsis to remove words or phrases you don’t want the reader to focus on.

Special Note #1: A colon can sometimes be used instead of an em-dash. A colon announces that something special is about to appear. The em-dash does the same, but is more dramatic.

Special Note #2: A hyphen can not be used in place of an em-dash. A hyphen has its own special use to be talked about in a later column.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment about it.

Lisa Jackson is an editor, writer, and chocolate lover. She’s addicted to Sudoku, cafés, and words. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis — and you can, too! © Lisa J. Jackson, 2011

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Grammar-ease: Affect vs. effect

If you’re like many people, two words that you have to pause and think about are affect and effect.

In most instances, affect is used as a verb. A verb does something; it shows action. Affect means “to change” or “to influence.”

Examples with affect:

• Motion affects my ability to hold down lunch.
• Snow affects how people drive.
• My cat’s fear of loud noises affects his behavior.
• Humidity negatively affects some types of hair.
• He affected an air of superiority.
• As a mother, she is affected by her children.

You could also try substituting a different verb to see if affect is what you need. (for example, He practiced an air of superiority.)

In most instances, effect, will be used as a noun. A noun is a thing. It has something done to it. Effect when used as a noun means “a result.”

Examples with effect:

• The effect of the bumpy road made me lose my lunch.
• The blizzard had no effect on our travel plans.
• The sound of the pot crashing to the floor had a startling effect on my cat.
• “Good,” he said. “I still have an effect on you.”
• The special effects were incredible.
• social media effect
• placebo effect

A mnemonic that might be helpful is: a very easy noun = affect (with an ‘a’) is a verb, effect (with an ‘e’) is a noun = affect verb effect noun.

Like all rules, there’s generally at least one exception. Here’s this exception: There is one time when affect will be a noun and effect will be a verb. It’s rare, but it exists. That is when affect (pronounced with the the accent on the first syllable), is a psychological term for “feeling.” And effect as a verb means “to bring about,” or “to accomplish.”

Learning the definitions of each will carry you far. Remembering an example of each will come in handy. The mnemonic can be used in a pinch.

So, did this help? Please share any tips or tricks for remembering the differences between affect and effect in a comment below.

If you have grammar topics you’d like to see covered, please leave a comment about it.

Lisa Jackson is an editor, writer, and chocolate lover. She’s addicted to Sudoku, cafés, and words. She writes fiction as Lisa Haselton, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is on the staff of The Writer’s Chatroom where she gets to network with writing professionals on a weekly basis — and you can, too! © Lisa J. Jackson, 2011

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