The Least You Should Know - Choosing the Right Pronoun

There are two types of pronouns: subjects and non subjects. If not used properly, they can cause difficulties when writing.

SUBJECT GROUP PRONOUNS:
I
He
She
We
They

NON SUBJECT GROUP PRONOUNS:
Me
Him
Her
Us
Them

If you use pronouns in the Subject Group, they can be used two ways:

1. as a subject of a verb

For example:

She is my sister. (She is the subject of the verb is)
We boys played basketball. (We is the subject of the verb played.)
He is taller than I. (If this sentence was written completely, it would read, "He is taller than I am." I is  the subject of the verb am. This may be a bit tricky for you. However, when you see than in a sentence, ask yourself whether a verb has been left off. Add the verb, and then you'll automatically use the correct pronoun. In both speaking and writing, always add the verb. Instead of saying "She's smarter than (I, me)." say, "She's smarter than I am." There is no way to fail using the correct pronoun if you follow this simple rule.

2. as a word that mean the same as the subject:
That girl in the shorts is she. (She is the word that means the same as the subject girl. Therefore the pronoun from the Subject Group is used.)
It was he all right. (He means the same as the subject It. Therefore, the pronoun from the Subject Group is used.)

In modern usage, there are some exceptions to the rule. It is me and it is us (instead of grammatically correct it is I and it is we) are now established usage, and it is him, it is her, and it is them are widely used, especially in informal speech.

Pronouns in the Non Subject Group are used for all other purposes.

In the following sentence, me is not the subject, nor does it mean the same as the subject. Therefore it comes from the Non Subject Group.

She came with Karen and me.

A good rule of thumb for telling which pronoun to use is to leave out the extra name. By leaving out Karen, you will say, She came with me. You would never say She came with I.

Have you learned enough about pronouns than you ever thought you would? Do you have more questions? Leave them in the comments. We'll get to them as soon as we can.

Copyright: luisfico / 123RF Stock Photo

The Least You Should Know - Capital Letters

Capitalize: To write or print in capital letters (Webster's II New Riverside Dictionary)

Seems simple enough, right? But, which words are capitalized and which are not, and how do you know the difference?


So, here in this post, we'll answer the what, why and when to capitalize.

Here are seven rules on Capitalization.

Capitalize:

1. The first word of every sentence.

The horse ran through the field.


2. The first word of every direct quotation.

She said, "I've wondered about that."

"They don't think about how water is found," he said, "and I can tell it doesn't make a difference." (The  and is not capitalized because it does not begin a new sentence.)


3. The first, last, and every important word in a title. Don't capitalize prepositions, short connecting words, the to in front of a verb, or a, an, the.

What a Horse Owner Needs to Know

"The Night the Earth Stood Still"


4. Names of people, places, languages, races, and nationalities

Grandmother Jones
Europe
United States
Japanese
Latin American
Indian


5. Names of months, days of the week, and special days, but not the seasons

March
Tuesday
Fourth of July
Halloween
spring
winter


6. A title of relationship. If it takes the place of the person's name, but not otherwise. If my (or a similar word) is in front of the word, a capital letter is not used.

I know Father will want to go.     but   I think my mother will come.

I'm sorry, Grandmother.     but    Our grandmother is 60.

He visited Uncle Henry.      but   She visited her aunt.

She phone Mother yesterday.      but   He phoned his dad.


7. Names of particular people or things, but not general ones.

I spoke to Professor Lawrence.       but   I spoke to the professor.

We sailed on the Mississippi River.      but   We sailed on the river.

Are you from the Northeast?      but   We turned east.

I take Art 101 and Spanish 102.      but   I take art and Spanish.

I went to Bayview High School.      but   I was in high school ten years ago.

He goes to Phoenix University.      but   He is going to the university now.


Have you figured out Capitalization?  If you have further questions, please put them in the comments below.


I hope you've enjoyed this "The Least You Should Know" series. This is the last session. Next week we'll open up a discussion about what you'd like to learn more about with writing and how I can meet those needs.

The Least You Should Know - Commas

Commas are like salt, either you use too much or not enough. In any editor's opinion, commas are used too much. And, like most seasonings, if you use too much, you lose the ultimate flavor of the dish and end up with bitter food.

So, to help you keep the seasonings light in your writing, we're going to discuss the proper use of the comma.

Number one rule: Don't use a comma unless you know a rule for it.

Commas are important for your reader. Without commas, you reader would often have to go back and reread a sentence to find out exactly what you meant to write.

Don't keep the reader guessing or having to interpret your writing. Your book may end up thrown against the furthest wall.

For you, my dear writer, I'll give you the six comma rules. Master these rules and your writing will be easier to read. And, that makes a happy reader. Ultimate goal, right?

1. Put a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so when they connect two independent clauses.

We lost the stick, and that was the end of the game of fetch.

We may have a donut, or we may have an apple.

Be sure the above mentioned words do connect two independent clauses. The following sentence is merely one independent clause with one subject and two verbs. Therefore no comma should be used.

I wanted to go to the beach but couldn't find my swimsuit.


2. Put a comma between items in a series.

Hurrah for the red, white, and blue.

He picked up the mail, walked into the house, and answered the telephone.

Some words "go together" and don't need a comma between them even though they do make up a series.

The eager little boy.

The wrinkled old hands.

Here is a way to tell whether a commas is needed between two words in a series: see whether and could be used naturally between them.

It would sound okay to say red and white and blue; therefore commas are used. But, it would not sound right to say eager and little boy or wrinkled and old hands; therefore no commas are used. Simple enough? Just use a comma where an and could be used. Of course, it is all right to omit the comma before the and connecting the last two members of a series, but more often it is used.

If an address or date is used in a sentence, treat it as a series, putting a comma after every item, including the last.

She was born on June 29, 1972, in Lansing, Michigan, and grew up there.

She lived in Buffalo, New York, for three years.

When only the month and year are used in a date, the commas may be omitted.

In July 1998 she moved to New Jersey.

3. Put a comma after an introductory expression or afterthought that doesn't flow smoothly into the sentence. It may be a word, a group of words, or a dependent clause.

No, I will not go.

Well, that was the end of that.

Moreover, the editor agreed with me.

It's warm this afternoon, isn't it?

Running on the ice, he slipped and fell.

When everyone had left, the restaurant was locked for the night.

You already know that dependent clauses at the beginning of a sentence needs a comma after it. In the last example you can see that a comma is necessary. Otherwise the reader would read When everyone had left the restaurant ... before realizing that that was not what the writer meant. A comma prevents misreading.


4. Put commas around the name of a person spoken to.

I think, Vicki, that you are absolutely right.

Karen, how about a game of cards?

I've finished washing the dishes, Frank.


5. Put commas around an expression that interrupts the flow of the sentence. (such as however, moreover, finally, therefore, of course, by the way, on the other hand, I am sure, I think).

I hope, of course, that everyone is all right.

We took our plates, therefore, and got in the buffet line.

It should, I think, take only an hour to fix the car.

Read the preceding sentences aloud, and you will hear how those expressions interrupt the flow of the sentence. Sometimes, however, such expressions flow smoothly into the sentence and don't need commas around them. Whether a word is an interrupter or not often depends on where it is in the sentence. If it is in the middle of the sentence, it is more likely to be an interrupter than if it is at the beginning or the end. The expressions that were interrupters in the preceding sentences are not interrupters in the following sentences and therefore don't need commas.

Of course I hope that everyone is all right.

Therefore we took our plates and got in the buffet line.

I think it should only take an hour to fix the car.

So, a word like however or therefore may be used in three ways:

a. as an interrupter (commas around it)
b. as a word that flows into the sentence (no commas needed)
c. as a connecting word between two independent clauses (semicolon before it and a comma after it)


6. Put commas around nonessential material.

Some written material may be interesting, but the main idea of the sentence would be clear without it. In the following sentence

Albert Connor, who is running for president, will speak tomorrow.

the clause who is running for president is not essential to the main idea of the sentence. Without it we still know exactly who the sentence is about and what he is going to do: Albert Connor will speak tomorrow. Therefore the nonessential material is set off from the rest of the sentence by commas to show that it could be left out. But in the following sentence

The man who is running for president will speak tomorrow.

the clause who is running for president is essential to the main idea of the sentence. Without it the sentence would read: The man will speak tomorrow. We would have no idea which man. The clause who is running for president is essential because it tells us which man. It couldn't be left out. Therefore commas are not used around it. In this sentence

The Client, a novel by John Grisham, was a best-seller.

the words a novel by John Grisham could be left out, and we would still know the main meaning of the sentence: The Client was a best-seller. Therefore the nonessential material is set off by commas to show that it could be left out. But in this sentence

John Grisham's novel The Client was a best-seller.

the title of the novel is essential. Without it the sentence would read: John Grisham's novel was a best-seller. We would have no idea which of John Grisham's novels was a best-seller. Therefore the title couldn't be left out, and commas are not used around it.


In review:

1. Put a comma before and, but, for, or, nor, yet, so when they connect two independent clauses.
2. Put a comma between items in a series.
3. Put a comma after an introductory expression or afterthought that doesn't flow smoothly into the sentence.
4. Put commas around the name of a person spoken to.
5. Put commas around an interrupter, like however, moreover, etc.
6. Put commas around nonessential material.

Simple, right? I knew you'd get it. Now, go season that bit of writing you've been working on and apply these rules.

The Least You Should Know - Punctuation

When writing, using punctuation helps your reader navigate your story and interpret it properly. There are several rules when using punctuation. Some you may know, others may not be as familiar.

Sometimes we all forget the basics. And,  that's okay. This may be a refresher for some of you or just the right tip you were looking for to enhance your writing.

Webster's defines punctuation as: 1. The use of standardized marks in written material to separate structural units and clarify meaning. 2. The marks used in punctuating written material.

There are six tips below to get you started on the road to proper punctuation use. In our next lesson in The Least You Should Know, we'll cover those pesky commas. Do you, or don't you?




1. Put a period at the end of a sentence and after most abbreviations.

The animals at the zoo entertained the children.

Mr. Etc. Jan. lbs.

2. Put a question mark after a direct question. But not after an indirect one.

Where are the flags?
He asked where the flags were.

3. Put an exclamation mark after an expression that shows strong emotion. Note to writers: use exclamation points sparingly in your work.

Awesome! Right on time!

4. Put a semicolon between two closely related independent clauses.

I have an appointment; therefore I must go.
We wanted to go to the big game; however we couldn't find a ride.

It is acceptable to write the above sentences without using semicolons. You can create two separate sentences.

I have an appointment. Therefore I must go.
We wanted to go to the big game. However we couldn't find a ride.

5. Put a colon after a complete statement when a list or a long quotation follows.

We used the following items: apple peeler, paring knife, and pie plate.

We used the following items is a complete statement.

We used an apple peeler, paring knife, and a pie plate.

We took is not a complete statement; it needs the list to make it complete. Therefore, since we don't want to separate the list from the first part of the sentence, no colon is used.

Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two thing above all others: read a lot and write a lot ... reading is the creative center of a writer's life ... you cannot hope to sweet someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."

Stephen King said is not a complete statement. Therefore we do not put a colon after it.

I used a quotation from Stephen King in this lesson: "If you want to be a writer, you must do two thing above all others: read a lot and write a lot ... reading is the creative center of a writer's life ... you cannot hope to sweet someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you."

I used a quotation from Stephen King in this lesson is a complete statement. Therefore we put a colon after it before adding the quotation.

6. Use a dash when there is an abrupt change of thought.

I traveled all over the world looking for antiques-hey look at that squirrel.

And the dash-well, don't use it too often.


How about you? Do you have any tips about punctuation use or questions about use? Don't be shy, just ask or comment below.