6.3  Grammar and Usage

There are five rules with respect to grammar and usage:

Subject Verb Agreement

Pronoun Agreement

Parallel Construction

Shifts in Tense

Diction (Word Choice)

These five rules are explained in detail below. These rules include using the right word and writing sentences correctly.

Subject Verb Agreement

Rule: A verb must agree with its subject in number (singular or plural).

Wrong Way:  A bag of coins were found on the street.

Right Way:    A bag of coins was found on the street.
                     (bag is singular)

Pronoun Agreement

Rule: A pronoun must agree with its antecedent (the word it refers to) in number (singular or plural) and gender (female or male).

Wrong Way:  Any girl can have their pick of classes.

Right Way:    Any girl can have her pick of classes.
                     (girl and her are both singular and female)

Parallel Construction

Rule: Similar parts of a sentence must be in the same form.

Wrong Way:  I like golfing, skating, and to play tennis.

Right Way:    I like to golf, to skate, and to play tennis.
                     (verbs are parallel)

Shifts in Tense

Rule: Stay in the same verb tense (past, present, etc.) unless there is an actual change in time.

Wrong Way:  I wanted to learn to rollerblade but I never have.

Right Way:    I wanted to learn to rollerblade, but I never did.
                     (wanted and did are both in the present)

Diction (Word Choice)

Rule: Don't confuse words that sound or look similar.

Wrong Way:  I can't except no for an answer.

Right Way:    I can't accept no for an answer.
                     (accept means take)

There are some words that are commonly used incorrectly.

The Usual Suspects

Here are some words often misused because they are mistaken for one another. Spellchecker will not help you to choose the correct word. If you are in doubt, you must use a dictionary and find the word's meaning.

accept / except

To accept is to receive or agree to:
      I accept your recommendation for a longer school day.

To except is to exclude:
      I will invite all of my friends except Jack.

affect / effect

To affect is to influence.
      Smoking will affect your health.

To effect (verb) means to produce an outcome.
      The rain had an effect on the dry weather.

among / between

To be among means to be in the company of.
      At the party I was among friends.

To be between means to be in the middle of.
      The United States is between Canada and Mexico.

then / than

Then is used to compare.
      My brother is four years older than I am.

Than is used to designate sequence or order.
      I will complete my science homework, then my social studies homework.

can / may

Can is used to indicate ability.
      I can carry both suitcases. (Indicates physical ability).

May is used to indicate a measure of likelihood.
      It may rain this afternoon.

they're / their / there

They're is a contraction of they are. If you can substitute they are for they're in a sentence, you are using it correctly.
      They're going to the mall after school.

Their is a possessive pronoun that works like his or our.
      John and Mary eat their hotdogs with mustard.

There is everything else.
      What's that over there?

two / too / to

Two is a number.
      My two favorite colors are green and blue.

Too is an adverb, meaning also.
      My stomach aches because I ate too much food.

To is a preposition.
      I am going to the beach this summer.

weather / whether

Weather is sunny, rainy, cold, hot, etc.
      The weather outside is perfect for baseball.

Whether is used to introduce an alternative.
      I can't decide whether or not to call Susan.

---

< Previous page    Table of Contents    Next page >