G HERBST2011

Grammar Crammers 21-30

Off of

The of is unnecessaryExamples:

Incorrect: He fell off of the bed. Correct: He fell off the bed.

Parallel Structure

Day 1: Read worksheetDay 1: Complete odds only (exercises)DAY 2: Complete even exercises

Quotation/quote

Quotation Noun As in: Did you print that quotation in your story? OR Use quotation marks.

Quote Verb As in: Can I quote you on that?

That, Who, Which

Use that and which in referring to inanimate objects and to animals without a name

Use that for essential clauses, important to the meaning of a sentence without commas Example: I remember the day that we met.

Use which for nonessential clauses, where the pronoun is less necessary, and use commas Example: The team, which finished last a year ago, is in

first place.Hint: If you can drop the clause and not lose

the meaning of the sentence, use which; otherwise, use that.

Who always refers to people

There, Their, They’re

There Adverb indicating direction Used with the force of a pronoun for impersonal

constructions Examples

We went there for dinner. There is no food on the table.

Their Possessive pronoun Example

They went to their house.

They’re Contraction for they are Example

They’re going out for dinner.

There are, There is

There are To be used when the subject(s) following are two or

more Example:

There are many students who enjoy using their iPhones. There are 15 students in Beginning Journalism.

There is To be used when the subject following is singular Example:

There is only one president. There is one yearbook adviser.

Toward, Towards

Toward, not towards Example:

We are moving toward going digital. The tight end ran toward the end zone.

Backward, Afterward

Backward, not backwards Example:

People loved when Michael Jackson did the moonwalk because he was moving backward without lifting his feet.

Afterward, not afterwards Example:

It is important that you complete that task afterward.

Try and, Try to

Try to is correct We try to do something

Try and is incorrectExamples:

The librarian tried to help me with my research project.

Together they can draft a blue print and try to find a general contractor.

Who, whom

Who Pronoun used for references to human beings and animals

with a name. The subject of a clause, sentence or phrase Example:

The woman who rented the room left the window open. Who is there?

Whom Used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition Example:

The woman to whom the room was rented left the window open. Whom do you wish to see?

Hint: if the answer is she/he then the correct word to use is “who”; if the answer is her/him then the correct word to use is “whom”