December 11, 2023

Whom and Whomever

TOPICS: , , , ,

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

« Older Entries

December 4, 2023

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

TOPICS: , , ,

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

« Older Entries

November 27, 2023

May vs. Might

TOPICS: ,

There's a subtle difference between "may" and "might." To use them best, trust your instincts.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

November 20, 2023

John and I vs. John and me

TOPICS: , , , ,

As kids, we're taught that "me" is usually wrong, as in "John and me went to the park." But "I" is often wrong, too. Use it only when it's the subject of a verb, for example when you both went (verb) to the park. When it's the object, use me: "Come to the park with John and me."

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

November 13, 2023

Stay Neutral in the Serial Comma Wars

TOPICS: , ,

A comma before the conjunction in a list of three or more things — red, white, and blue — is called a serial comma or an Oxford comma. And despite what serial comma partisans will tell you, it's optional. Red, white and blue is equally correct.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

November 6, 2023

Run-ons, Comma Splices and Sentence Fragments

TOPICS: , ,

When your sentences go on too long, or when they're not structured well, your reader suffers.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

October 30, 2023

A Crash Course in Apostrophes

TOPICS: , , , ,

To write smart, avoid these common apostrophe errors.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

October 23, 2023

Perfect Hyphenation? No Such Thing

TOPICS: , , , ,

Hyphenation rules are all over the place. So you don't have to worry about hyphenating perfectly. But you can aspire to hyphenate well. Here's how.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

October 16, 2023

Grammar Jargon Squared

TOPICS: , , ,

Is a participle the same as a particle? Is a dependent clause the same as a subordinate clause? How about an essential clause? Is that the same as a restrictive clause? The short answer is for all these questions is yes. The long answer is: Don't get intimidated when you hear unfamiliar grammar terms. You may already know the concepts by a different name.

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries

October 9, 2023

Is 'Alright' All Right?

TOPICS: ,

In casual writing, "alright" is OK. But in professional publishing, the rules are clear: use "all right."

Click player above to listen to the podcast

« Older Entries