February 5, 2024

Compose and Comprise

In most editing styles, comprise means to contain. Compose means to make up. So, if you're following these styles, the whole comprises the parts, and the parts compose the whole.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

January 29, 2024

Lesser-known Adverbs

Most of us are taught that adverbs are words that usually end in -ly and that modify actions, as in Kate runs quickly, or modify adjectives or adverbs, as in Kate is truly incredibly fast.

But these manner adverbs constitute just one type of adverb. Adverbs include words that don’t end in -ly at all and don’t modify actions. Instead they answer the questions “when? and “where?”—words like “soon” and “tomorrow”—or they link the idea in once sentence to a previous sentence—words like “therefore” and “however.”

Here's the full story.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

January 22, 2024

Lay and Lie

Lay is a transitive verb, meaning it takes an object: Lay the book on the table.

Lie is intransitive, meaning no object: I lie here staring at the ceiling.

It's the past tense and past participle forms the get confusing. They are:

lie/lay/lain

lay/laid/laid

If you forget those, you can always check a dictionary.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

January 15, 2024

Intrusive 'Of'

A sentence like "Joe is not that big of a sports fan" doesn't need the "of." In fact, that preposition serves no real purpose there.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

January 8, 2024

None Is vs. None Are

Some people believe "none" is always singular. Not so. Sometimes it's intended as a plural and can take a plural verb like "are."

Click player above to listen to the podcast

January 2, 2024

Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb and effect is a noun — usually. In rare cases, the opposite can be true. Here's how to get both right every time.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

December 26, 2023

Subject-complement Agreement

All the spectators turned their heads? Or all the spectators turned their head? Making complements agree with subjects isn't always easy — or logical.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

December 18, 2023

The Couple Is or The Couple Are?

With collective nouns, sometimes whatever sounds best, is best.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

December 11, 2023

Whom and Whomever

Who and whoever are subjects. Whom and whomever are objects. But be careful when the pronoun is in the middle of the sentence. Sometimes you need the object form: "The company will hire whomever they can." But other times, you need the subject form because the object clause needs its own subject: "The company will hire whoever can get the job done."

Click player above to listen to the podcast

December 4, 2023

Can You Start a Sentence with And, But or So?

Grammatically, there's nothing wrong with starting a sentence with and, but or so. But your sentences may be more efficient without them.

Click player above to listen to the podcast