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15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly

By Noemi Twigg on April 3, 2012. 8 Comments

Grammar can be a pain in the butt, but grammar can also be fun. In the recent weeks, the Grammar Guide has been rather serious. Why don’t we have a little bit of fun today, and take a look at this infographic called “15 Grammar Goofs That Make You Look Silly”? The light tone of the title notwithstanding, the mistakes – let’s call a spade a spade – are really not that silly at all. As we always say, everyone makes mistakes. When it comes to the 15 in the infographic, however, unless they are typographical mistakes, committing the errors [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Humor Tags: grammar mistakes, Infographics Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Can You Use “Though” to Begin a Sentence?

Plus a look at "Although", "In spite of", and "despite"

By Noemi Twigg on March 28, 2012. Leave a Comment

Though these are common words, questions crop up now and then about though, although, in spite of, and despite. One thing is for certain: these words are similar in meaning. The difference lies in the fact that they are different parts of speech. Let’s take a look at though and although first. They are conjunctions and can be used interchangeably as such. The government says the economy is improving, although people do not seem to feel it. Replacing although with though does not change the meaning. The government says the economy is improving, though people do not seem to feel [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Parts of Speech Tags: conjunctions, prepositions Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Who’s Who and the Blues

A Short Lesson on Subject-Verb Agreement

By Noemi Twigg on February 29, 2012. Leave a Comment

Who reads The Washington Post on a regular basis? I have to admit that I do not, but I still look up to them. Who doesn’t? It seems, though, that their writers are but human just like the rest of us. Recently, a reader pointed out a mistake that some grammar nazis enthusiasts will find more than egregious, if there is such a thing. The mistake? Something that is basic to the English language: subject-verb agreement. I have not been teaching English for almost a year now, but I still do remember that this grammar point is one of the [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: grammar mistakes, Grammar Rules, subject-verb agreement Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Non-Errors in the English Language (Part 2)

Beginning Sentences with Conjunctions

By Noemi Twigg on March 15, 2011. 2 Comments

If your high school English teach was anything like my teacher, she/he probably always emphasized the “rule” about NOT using conjunctions to begin your sentence. “You must never begin a sentence with a conjunction” is the mantra of many an English teacher. Just because “everyone” says it is a rule does not necessarily mean it is true, though. In fact, many a grammar “expert” will tell you that this arbitrary rule does not hold much sway. I can go on and on and repeat that I believe that using conjunctions such as “but” and “and” to begin a sentence is [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Musings & Style, Punctuation Tags: comma, conjunctions, Grammar Rules, writing style Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Non-Errors in the English Language (Part 1)

Split Infinitives and Ending Sentences with a Preposition

By Noemi Twigg on February 23, 2011. 2 Comments

There is no denying that we all have our pet peeves when it comes to the English language. There are certain words, phrases, and usages that we simply cannot stand. Sometimes, these pet peeves are valid – when the “mistakes” are really incorrect. There are many instances, however, when certain usages may actually be correct, contrary to popular opinion. These things are what we call “non-errors” – in spite of what many people may say, they are grammatically sound. In this post – and the next few posts – I am going to take a look at some of these [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: grammar debates, Grammar Rules, non-errors, prepositions Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Reduplication in the English Language

By Noemi Twigg on February 8, 2011. 8 Comments

Some of you may recognize the title of this post as the opening line of Star Wars, but have you ever thought about the grammatical accuracy of the “double use” of the word far? To be honest, I never really paid much attention to the practice of repeating adjectives or adverbs as I have always believed it to be correct. While some purists may disagree, I think that there is a reason for this repetition. Last week, the matter was brought to my attention, courtesy of a bunch of guys at Quora. The question posed was: Star Wars opens with [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Musings & Style Tags: grammar, palilogy, reduplication Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Just Between You and Me

Or Is it Just Between You and I?

By Noemi Twigg on December 13, 2010. 4 Comments

I don’t know if you’ve heard of the group dc Talk, but they do have some pretty cool songs. In my opinion, one of their catchiest songs is Between You and Me, not only because of the tune but also because of the lyrics. Sticklers for grammar (yes, you) will be hearing warnings bells by now. Let me share the song with you first before we get down to business, alright? Just between you and me I’ve got something to say Wanna get it straight Before the sun goes down Just between you and me Confession needs to be made [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: Grammar Rules, prepositions, pronoun Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

How to Use the Phrase "Begs the Question"

By Noemi Twigg on November 19, 2010. 4 Comments

Don’t you just love it when you learn something new unexpectedly? I was reading the news today when I saw an article titled “To beg or not to beg” and for some reason, I decided to take a look at it. I am glad I did, because it was a very interesting read, which I would like to share with you. How often do you hear the phrase “to beg the question”? How do you use it? In my case, I don’t really hear it that often, but I always understood it in the context of someone making a statement [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Word Usage Tags: Grammar Rules, Word Usage Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

How Consistent Are You?

A Refresher on Verb Tense Consistency

By Noemi Twigg on November 8, 2010. 14 Comments

Running is the thing right now. Everywhere I look, it seems that people are talking about running. My Twitter timeline is flooded with people’s tweets about 5k, 10k, and LSD! (Apparently, that means long slow distance and not what I initially thought.) On Facebook, I see wall posts about runs left and right. It’s the same thing with forums. Here’s one post that caught my eye and gave me an idea for today’s grammar post. i started running because i want to be more active. now i run because i love it and i’m obsessed with it. Let’s get the [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: Grammar Rules, verb tenses, Verbs Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

When Grammar Goes Bad…So Does Romance?

A Quick Look at Grammatically Incorrect Song Lyrics

By Noemi Twigg on October 25, 2010. 7 Comments

I have a Facebook friend who, I think, is the head of the Grammar Police in our neck of the woods. He always has these posts that set me off on grammar review sprees. Today, this is his status: The first thing I did was to google (yes, I used that as a verb) the lyrics of Bad Romance. So why did my friend write that note to Lady Gaga? Here are some lines from the song: I want your love, and I want your revenge. You and me could write a bad romance. I suppose I can write a [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Musings & Style Tags: grammar, grammar mistakes Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

More Funny Signs that Could Use Better Grammar/Spelling

By Noemi Twigg on October 11, 2010. 9 Comments

It’s been more than a month since I posted the first group of funny (or not-so-funny for some) signs on FWJ. When I woke up this morning, I thought that it would be a good idea to post some more signs for the grammar section. After all, it is a Monday, and we can all use some cheering up on this day of the week. First up comes lots of lot’s. Photo courtesy of Steve Dinn We can’t point fingers at Sony here, but the sign sure does take something away from the message, doesn’t it? Just so we’re all [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Humor, Punctuation, Spelling Tags: funny signs, grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, spelling mistakes Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

What’s Missing?

A Refresher on Sentence Fragments

By Noemi Twigg on October 4, 2010. 2 Comments

Scattered puzzle pieces next to solved fragment

In oral communication, it is quite normal to speak in fragments. This is especially true for informal conversations. While I have nothing against that, it is another matter altogether when it comes to formal speech and writing. Actually, even if you’re writing informally for your blog or web site, sentence fragments should be a no no. What are sentence fragments anyway? I like OWL‘s simple definition: Fragments are incomplete sentences. Usually, fragments are pieces of sentences that have become disconnected from the main clause. One of the easiest ways to correct them is to remove the period between the fragment [Read more…]

Categories: Freelance Writing, Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, sentence fragments Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

I’m Loving It, Are You?

A Quick Look at Prescriptive and Descriptive Grammar

By Noemi Twigg on September 17, 2010. 5 Comments

Are you loving McDonald’s popular slogan? “I’m lovin’ it!” became even more popular when the fast food chain launched its first global advertising campaign in 2003. Suddenly, everywhere you go, you hear people say “I’m lovin’ it.” What used to be considered incorrect is now being used on a daily basis. But isn’t that what language is all about? I will always remember what a friend (English professor) told me: “Language is dynamic. It continuously evolves, and that’s the beauty of it.” While I totally agree with that idea, I sometimes cannot help but flinch when I hear something that [Read more…]

Categories: Freelance Writing, Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules, Musings & Style Tags: descriptive grammar, grammar, prescriptive grammar Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Parallel Structure in Writing

By Noemi Twigg on September 3, 2010. 4 Comments

Parallel structure, or parallelism, is a basic concept that students learn in writing class. Over the years, we may forget the term, but the idea should continue to be applied. Whether you are writing for your personal blog or for a big client, avoiding faulty parallelism can help you get your point across more clearly. I think parallelism comes naturally to most people. As humans who appreciate beauty and balance, we easily detect if something is off. Take a look at this sentence: I like to play soccer and swimming. You don’t need to spend minutes going over that sentence [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Guide, Grammar Rules Tags: grammar tips, parallel structures, parallelism, Writing Tips Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Justifying a Comma Splice

By Noemi Twigg on July 23, 2010. 1 Comment

In the last post, I talked about a major error in writing – a comma splice. As I mentioned in that post, there are some cases wherein using a comma splice just might be acceptable. In fact, this is in an ongoing debate. So when is a comma splice acceptable? According to Strunk & White, one can use a comma splice “when the clauses are very short and alike in form.” The most commonly cited example for this case is the popular line: I came, I saw, I conquered. Diana Hacker of A Writer’s Reference also gives some examples: Man [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Rules, Musings & Style, Punctuation Tags: comma splice, Grammar Rules, Punctuation, writing style Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

What Is a Comma Splice?

By Noemi Twigg on July 16, 2010. 5 Comments

There are certain words in the English language that I love to hear and say. “Splice” is one of those words. I don’t know why, but it just sounds so good to my ears. This post, however, is not going to be about words that you like to hear. It is going to be about this thing called comma splice. What is it anyway, and why are some people so gung ho on avoiding it? Consider this: I woke up at 3 in the afternoon, I was not able to go to church. The two clauses – one before the [Read more…]

Categories: Grammar Rules, Punctuation Tags: comma, comma splice, grammar tips, independent clauses, Punctuation Writing Jobs Editing Jobs Publishing Jobs Blogger Jobs

Whom Does This Concern?

By Dawn Allcot on May 17, 2010. 1 Comment

As I am writing at work (and I do a lot of writing!), I wasn’t sure about when to use who vs. whom. I thought of your grammar blog again. Maybe you can help? Ms. B Ms. B, Thanks for asking! This topic has been on my editorial calendar for quite some time, and it’s the perfect follow-up to my post about archaic words. “Whom” definitely qualifies as a word that is falling out of favor, although it’s not yet an archaic word to avoid at all costs. We can substitute “who” for “whom” in most cases, and very few [Read more…]

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