When you are tempted to push the envelope and decide that many traditional grammar “rules” have become irrelevant, beware. If, for example, you choose the traditional all right instead of the more casual alright, no one will notice, even those who choose to use alright. Yet if you use alright, conservative readers will likely wince. Acceptable grammar usage changes slowly, and this is not a movement where you benefit from being in the forefront!
Here's a little quiz where you can identify what might be considered incorrect and then “fix” it:
1. His goal was to always win.
2. Richard and him were the last ones hired.
3. The secret must remain with you and I.
4. They gave the gift to John and myself.
5. Accuracy of movement, like accuracy of words, are essential to the success of magical rites.
6. Where is he at?
7. We are striving to make the world a better place to live in.
Comments on the Quiz
1. You may recognize to win as an infinitive. Although conservative writers choose never to split one (as I just avoided), many grammarians suggest that you “listen to yourself” and see how it sounds—always a good idea when you write. I don't like the sound of this split infinitive, so I might say, His goal was always to win (or) His goal was to win—always. On the other hand, here is a familiar and wonderful split infinitive: To boldly go . . . .
2. Unfortunately, this pronoun error still creeps into good writing. Fixing it may require separating the parts of the subject: Richard was hired. He was hired (both subject words). Richard and he were hired.
3. This is such an uncomfortable error that it clearly causes listeners to squirm; again, separating the two object words helps clarify: with you, with I. Whoops! With you and (with) me.
4. The pronoun myself cannot stand alone—either as a subject or an object. Use it only after you use I: Ouch, I hurt myself (or) I did it myself.
5. When a phrase is set off from the subject, it must be ignored when choosing the verb to use: Accuracy of movement is essential.
6. Ending a sentence with a preposition has a bad, and undeserved, reputation because too many people fail to see the difference in a proposition and a verb phrase. Clearly, Where is he at? and Where are you going to? are inappropriate because they are redundant. Where is he? and Where are you going? serve the same purpose.
7. Here, live in is a verb phrase, different from live. I am comfortable with this sentence. Of course, if you want to avoid any question, you could use the somewhat stuffy phrase, in which to live.
I challenge you to consider every day a good grammar day!
1. His goal was to always win.
2. Richard and him were the last ones hired.
3. The secret must remain with you and I.
4. They gave the gift to John and myself.
5. Accuracy of movement, like accuracy of words, are essential to the success of magical rites.
6. Where is he at?
7. We are striving to make the world a better place to live in.
Comments on the Quiz
1. You may recognize to win as an infinitive. Although conservative writers choose never to split one (as I just avoided), many grammarians suggest that you “listen to yourself” and see how it sounds—always a good idea when you write. I don't like the sound of this split infinitive, so I might say, His goal was always to win (or) His goal was to win—always. On the other hand, here is a familiar and wonderful split infinitive: To boldly go . . . .
2. Unfortunately, this pronoun error still creeps into good writing. Fixing it may require separating the parts of the subject: Richard was hired. He was hired (both subject words). Richard and he were hired.
3. This is such an uncomfortable error that it clearly causes listeners to squirm; again, separating the two object words helps clarify: with you, with I. Whoops! With you and (with) me.
4. The pronoun myself cannot stand alone—either as a subject or an object. Use it only after you use I: Ouch, I hurt myself (or) I did it myself.
5. When a phrase is set off from the subject, it must be ignored when choosing the verb to use: Accuracy of movement is essential.
6. Ending a sentence with a preposition has a bad, and undeserved, reputation because too many people fail to see the difference in a proposition and a verb phrase. Clearly, Where is he at? and Where are you going to? are inappropriate because they are redundant. Where is he? and Where are you going? serve the same purpose.
7. Here, live in is a verb phrase, different from live. I am comfortable with this sentence. Of course, if you want to avoid any question, you could use the somewhat stuffy phrase, in which to live.
I challenge you to consider every day a good grammar day!
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