Thursday, 14 October 2010

  • Difference between a an

    There is a simple way to know the difference between a an.

    The letter a is used before words that begin with consonants.  A consonant is every letter that is not a vowel.  In other words, any word that begins with a letter that is not a, e, i, o, or u should have “an” before it. 

    There are two exceptions to this rule. 

    ·         When u makes the same sound as the y in you or o

    ·         It makes the same sound as w in won

    In both of the previous cases, an should be used rather than a. 

    Here are some examples:

    • a union
    • a wonderful day
    • a used rag
    • a U.S. flag
    • a one-eyed dog

    An is used before words that begin with, or sound like a vowel.  For instance, the letter “a” should go before an unsounded h. 

    Here are a couple of examples of unsounded h’s. 

    ·         He is an honorable man.

    ·         It was an honest mistake.

    To recap:

    Use “a” before words that begin with a consonant.

    Consonants are and letter other than vowels. 

    Use “an” before words that begin or sound like a vowel. 

    If you can remember these rules, you should be able to master whether to use a or an. 

    If you have any questions recognizing with the difference between a an or any other grammar question, go to Grammar Perfection or email help@grammarperfection.com.  


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Tuesday, 12 October 2010

  • Comma Splice Example

    Comma Splice Example

    An example of a comma splice is where you have a comma between two independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction (and, but, nor, or, etc.). 

    Comma Splice Example: The monkey ate the bananas, he didn’t stop until he ate the entire bunch. 

    Both halves of the sentence are independent clauses.  In other words, they can both be sentences.

    Ways to correct a comma splice.

    Add a coordinating conjunction. 

    The monkey ate the bananas, but he didn’t stop until he ate the entire bunch.

    Replace the comma with a period and start a new sentence.

    The monkey ate the bananas.  He didn’t stop until he ate the entire bunch.

    Replace the comma with a semicolon.

    The monkey ate the bananas; he didn’t stop until he ate the entire bunch. 

    As you can see, comma splices are easy to avoid if you find ways to change the sentence to make it correct. 

    If you have any questions recognizing examples of comma splices or any other grammar question, go to Grammar Perfection or email help@grammarperfection.com.  

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Friday, 08 October 2010

  • A lot or alot alot a lot

    Some people become confused about whether to use a lot or alot. 

    Part of the confusion may happen because allot is a word and is similar to a lot.  Allot means to distribute.

    The correct spelling is a lot.  Alot is not a word.    

    Note that a lot is a casual word and should be used with caution on essays and formal papers.  “Many” or “much” (depending on how you are using it) is a more appropriate word for formal use. 

    For instance, “I feel a lot better” can be written, “I feel much better.”

    Also, “There are a lot of people on the bus,” can be, “There are many people on the bus.” 

    Just remember that a lot is a word, alot is not. 

    If you have any questions about alot a lot or any other grammar question, go to Grammar Perfection or email help@grammarperfection.com.

Thursday, 07 October 2010

  • Its vs It's

    Its vs It’s


    Knowing how to use its vs it’s isn’t very hard if you remember the following. 


    It’s

    It's is a contraction for "it is" or "it has."  In other words, when someone writes it’s, they are abbreviating either “it is” or “it has.”


    It’s wonderful weather today.


    Something important to note is that if you are writing a formal paper or essay, you should avoid contractions.  Spell out either it is, or it has. 


    Its

    Its is the possessive form of "it."  This can be a little confusing, because in most cases, an apostrophe s (’s) stands for a possessive.  This is not the case with its.


    That was a great movie; what did you think of its ending?


    I was able to watch the boat on its launch.


    The Bottom Line

    The confusing part of it’s and its is that English has taught us that if something is possessive, you add an apostrophe s.  For example, “This is Joan’s car.” 

    If you can replace the word with "it is" or "it has," use it's. If those doesn’t work, use its. 


    If you have any questions about its vs it’s or any other grammar question, go to Grammar Perfection or email help@grammarperfection.com.  

Wednesday, 06 October 2010

  • How to spell “in lieu of”

    I am posting a helpful article below on spelling "in lieu of."

    If you have any questions about spelling or any other grammar question, go to Grammar Perfection or email help@grammarperfection.com.  

    How to spell “in lieu of”

    by Maeve Maddox

    Whenever I come across an unusual misspelling, I do a search to see how common it is. This misspelling of in lieu of caught my attention:

    …so i can run keynote in leu of having to use powerpoint.

    A Google search for “in leu of” brought up about 23,600,000 hits.

    The bank is asking if we would like to do a deed in leu of foreclosure.

    I was told I could take jail time in leu of the fine.

    Hair flower in leu of a veil

    Anyone ever use duct tape in leu of rim tape?

    How long can I leave potatoes in the ground? (in leu of storage)

    To be fair, most of these examples are from forums and comments. Google does ask “Did you mean in lieu of?”

    The expression came into English from French en lieu de, “in place of,” from the Latin phrase in loco, “in place of.” Our English word instead is a calque of these foreign expressions. It was written as two words, in stead, until the 17th century.

    Stead means “place,” as in homestead.

    Bottom line: If you’re not sure how to spell in lieu of, you can use instead ofinstead.

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