Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Editors tend to come by good grammar naturally. And certain grammar mistakes constitute the proverbial nails scraping on a blackboard for them. When you’re trying to put the best face possible on your submission, don’t sabotage yourself by committing one (or more!) of these common errors that label you an amateur.
Test yourself with the examples below.
1. The nonprofit organization (which, that, or who) sought to serve underprivileged children was 
struggling to raise enough money.
Despite our court system regularly telling us that business entities are “people,” the correct choice is “that,” not “who.” “Who” is used for people; “that” is used for entities. “Which” would have been correct if the clause had been set off with commas: “…organization, which sought to serve underprivileged children,…”
2 (Me, I) and my baby enjoy playing Hide and Seek.
Trick question! When referring to yourself, always mention the other person(s) before you. In this sentence, because the personal pronoun is the subject of the sentence, the correct pronoun would be “I.” So the sentence should read, “My baby and I enjoy playing Hide and Seek.” If you caught the incorrect structure of the sentence as well as chose “I,” give yourself one bonus point.
3. None of the boys (was, were) good at swimming.
“Was” is correct because “none” is singular. Here’s a simple way to remember this rule: “None” could be read as “not one.”
4. I told my dog to (lie, lay) down.
This isn’t as hard as we tend to make it. “Lie” doesn’t have an object; “lay” does. So, in this sentence, “lie” is correct, but if you’ve taught your dog to “lay down,” don’t expect him/her to obey you when you use correct grammar!
5. The nurse, (who, whom) I knew well, stared at the chart in a disconcerting way.
A good way to think through the who/whom dilemma is to reconstruct the phrase to figure out if the pronoun is the subject or the object. In the above sentence’s case, it would read: “I knew whom well.” You would never say, “I knew who well.” Well, maybe you would, but you would be wrong!
6. I’m (farther, further) along in my reading than I thought I was.
The correct answer is “further.” “Farther” refers to a measurable distance, such as, “I walked five miles farther today than yesterday.” “Further” refers to an abstract distance.
7. The publishing house has (less, fewer) employees this year than last year.
“Fewer” refers to a quantifiable item so that is the correct choice. “Less” is used when talking about a hypothetical quantity, such as, “The books I’ve read this year are less enjoyable than the ones I read last year.”
8. (May, Can) I speak candidly?
“Can” means you are able to. “May” means you are asking permission. Most of us can speak candidly, but it’s polite to ask if we may do so.
9. I’m (eager, anxious) to see how your remodeled house looks.
“Anxious” is a synonym for “afraid.” So, unless your friend has dreadful taste, you are “eager” to see the remodel.
10. The way he kicks the ball is (most unique, unique).
“Unique” means “one of a kind.” It is a superlative and therefore can’t be made “more superlative” by adding an adverb to it. Hence, Hallmark’s tagline, “When you care enough to give the very best,” is grammatically incorrect. You can’t give more than the best–that’s the penultimate you have to offer.
11. I’ve set my (sights, cites, sites) on getting published, and nothing will stop me.
“Sight” refers to the ability to see; “cite” means to quote a source or for a police officer to “cite” someone (give them a ticket); “site” refers to land. e.g., “I found the perfect site to build a house on.” So in this case, “sights” would be correct.
How did you do? Give yourself one point for each correct answer, and don’t forget the bonus point if you noted in #2 that the personal pronoun always is last rather than first.
If your score was:
10-12: You’re a grammarphile, and editors love your clean manuscripts.
7-9: You’re lookin’ good. A little spit and polish, and you’ll be on your way to making an editor very happy.
4-6: Your grammar could use some elbow grease to clean it up.
1-3: Sidle up to a grammar queen and ask for a few pointers.
And, now, the grand finale, a catchy tune that shows off a few word crimes:
How did you do? What grammar issues tend to trip you up?
TWEETABLES
Just how good are you at grammar? Click to tweet.
Take this test to see if you know 11 common grammar mistakes. Click to tweet.
10 points, thanks to a grandmother who insisted on good grammar. Family history says she let her five daughters fight as long as they used complete sentences with proper grammar.
I love that fight rule! Congrats!
Wow, I got 1/12. I failed on “None of the boys (was, were) good at swimming.” I saw boys and thought were for the plural. Damn! ‘Was’ didn’t ‘sound’ right in my head though, either.
Great list of the prime issues.
shahwharton.com
Shah, yeah, “none” messes up a lot of people. But you did a great job.
Wow, I got 11/12. 🙂
I failed: “None of the boys (was, were) good at swimming.” I saw boys and thought were for the plural. Damn! ‘Was’ didn’t ‘sound’ right in my head though, either.
Great list of the prime issues.
shahwharton.com
Shah, you did well; you certainly didn’t fail. Certain pronouns (none, all, neither) tend to confuse writers. There are two things that might help you with “none.” It means “not one” so it takes a singular agreement. Also, the subject of a sentence is never in a prepositional phrase, so when you are making a subject/verb agreement (or checking to see if it’s correct, eliminate the prepositional phrases (such as “of the boys). I find with my students that the final word of a prepositional phrase often is what leads them to make an incorrect agreement. Here the agreement isn’t with “boys” but with “none.” If you eliminate the prepositional phrase, you will hear immediately that “None were good” is incorrect.
Now can someone help me with “lay” and “lie”?
Twelve points; I attended an English public school transplanted to the States. Errors in grammar were punished with a ruler across the knuckles.
But I aren’t not that kind of person whom’s going to brag. It’s a reflection on the people what taught me.
Interestingly, grammar does change, slowly. For those who may be interested, here’s a link to an article about some recent changes, and some differences between American, Canadian, and British grammar:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Grammar—The-Changing-Rules&id=5754172
Great article, Andrew. In middle grade, we had to diagram sentences. It’s amazing how helpful that is to figuring out modifiers, etc.
Our grammar is fine, eh?
My education in grammar was rigorous, and I am pleased to say that my score was 12 out of 12.
I have noticed that some grammatical errors have become enshrined within areas of specific usage. For example, the split infinitive is de rigeur in military documents in the US, the UK, and India. It seems have come into fashion by virtue of setting a tone – incorrect, to be sure – of extreme formality and detachment.
Split infinitives=nails across the chalkboard for me.
Great post, Janet. I only got ten out of twelve correct. I will attribute one of my mistakes to tiredness in the morning. 🙂 I appreciate the grammar lesson and reminders!
Jeanne, don’t be so hard on yourself. Ten correct is good!
Ten is great, Jeanne! No excuses needed. 🙂
My 10/12 was cuz I’m clueless. I took the quiz WAY after I’d woke up and had a vat of tea.
LOL. I felt humbled after reading those before me who had scored 11 and 12. 🙂
I missed farther/further, but I’d like to think that if I’d stopped to think it through FURTHER, I’d have gotten it right. 🙂
One thing that helps me with the who/whom issue is thinking of whether I’d use he/she or him/her when I reconstruct the sentence. If I’d use he/she, then “who” is correct, and if I’d use him/her, then “whom” is correct. That trick has helped me a lot.
Ha! Thinking it through further probably would have helped.
That’s a good trick for figuring out who/whom. Thanks!
Number three got me! I review these with the girls yearly. Homeschooling has helped me greatly improve, but I often wonder if I learned anything in grade school. And I was an honor student!
The only reason I answered number one correctly is because I have struggled with this. I always want to use “that” with a person, instead of “who.” I continually make that mistake, but I usually catch it now. Thank goodness for Facebook “edit”!
I struggle most in speaking correctly. We can edit writing, but it is hard to edit speaking. Fortunately, a family member loves to remind me and everyone else! 🙂
And why are others harder on writers in the grammar area? We should be improving over time … but none is perfect! 🙂
(Now, I’ll look back to see how many mistakes I made! *sigh*)
Shelli, I didn’t sight any errors in your comment. In our family we have so many grammar police, one of my grandsons chose to use incorrect English just to get the rest of us riled up. Yup, he’s ornery.
Compared to my writing, my speech is terrible sometimes. I’ll blame it on my West Texas roots. 🙂 We don’t always make proper English a priority…lol.
Ha, ha, Jennifer! I knew Texas had to be to blame! 🙂
You speak like a perfect Southern belle. I know this for a fact.
Thank you, Jennifer!! 🙂
Twelve! Woo hoo! And that was with California public schooling, for the record 🙂 Oh, and a mother who corrected my grammar constantly. Sarah: “Can I have an apple?” Mom: “Yes, you can, but you may not.” Grr. Sarah: “MAY I have an apple?”
By the way, she still corrects my grammar.
Grammar police are a Godsend.
I done good/did well, too, Sarah. Also the result of Washington state public schooling (plus a degree in English kind of helped and a grammar police mother.
I just realized what a horribly garbled sentence I posted. Embarrassed! Where is the comments editing function when I need it to save face?
Laura, one of the downsides of social media–once we send it out there…well, there it is.
I discover all of my typos on Twitter as soon as I click to post my tweet.
Too funny!
My youngest son’s favorite question is: “I don’t know. Can you?”
The hard thing is: He learned it from his mother. 😉
Jeanne, that does complicate things.
I can safely say I passed. 10 outta 12 ain’t bad. Me/I and lay/lie. Curses! Foiled again!
😀
BUT, with all due respect, Janet, I must disagree with #10 on the grounds of irregular syncopation. The sentence has 9 beats. For me, personally, for it to flow in rythym, I would use “most unique”, otherwise my brain automatically inserts an extra pause, or beat, between ‘is’ and ‘unique’, in order to make the timing of the sentence even.
I can hear it in my best Maggie Smith/Downton Abbey snark voice. “The way he kicks the ball is (beat) unique.” If the whole paragraph was in 3/3 time, I’d go crazy…er.
Jennifer, extra points for you for having the most creative rationale for being incorrect.
Sooooo, does that mean I win?
I am *slightly* competitive. Just, like, a wee bit.
And by ‘wee’, I mean Costco sized, on red Bull, at high noon, in stereo.
I suppose I should have said ‘thank you’, first, eh?
Ahem.
Thank you.
*Jaime runs and hides under her desk because no amount of trying and studying and reading grammar books will make up for her severe lack of skillz.
*Jaime sucks down coffee cup #3 for the morning
*Jaime hires outside editor for polishing purposes
Jaime is wise to hire those who have skills she lacks. *Slurps her tea.*
Thank you, Janet! The video made my morning (or perhaps my year). It was a bit harsh but hilarious. 🙂
I scored in the 10-12 range. That is reassuring since I teach grammar as part of my job. I will confess, though, that “lay” and “lie” are my undoing. I often have to check the dictionary for the correct tense form.
Thank you for giving a starting the week with a belly laugh!
Christine, “lie” and “lay” slay me! I always have to look them up. Lie means to recline; lay means to place something … I get that. The difficult part is that “lay” is a form of both words. Ugh.
He lay in the shade.
Lay down your rifle.
Slays me! 🙂
I always SAY this wrong, too!
Thanks, Shelli, it’s good to know I’m not alone. Yes, the word form is my downfall.
Thanks again! 🙂
I ALWAYS see “lie” as “No, I didn’t eat the cookies.” No matter the context.
I know, right?! Ha ha! Jennifer … 🙂 English … there is no apparent rhyme or reason …. Hee, hee! I ate the cookies! 🙂 I’m telling you, if they are around, they aren’t around long.
Would anyone buy the argument that a number of pages of reading is measurable? Since you might say, “I know you had twenty pages to read. How far did you get in your reading?” Answer: “Farther than I thought I would!”
Would you buy that? Please? If so, I got 12/12! 😉
I would, Deborah. That’s the one I got wrong as well. I completely agree that a number of pages is measurable. “Farther” generally has to do with distance: “The farm is a half-mile farther down the road.” That said, http://www.grammar-monster.com says that “farther” refers to physical distance while “further” refers to “abstract distance.” You and I apparently were thinking quite literally in regards to the number of pages read. The argument can be made, however, that “reading” is an intellectual and abstract activity; thus, getting more reading done than expected would require “further,” just as “I am further along in my training than I expected,” would be correct. Is it any wonder that the non-grammar police get frustrated? For my part, I think this is a fun and stimulating conversation. That, of course, means I’m way too obsessed with words and language! 🙂
Thank you, Christine. So nice to have a place we obsessed-with-grammar people can discuss without fear!
Wait, if you bought that I got 12/12 we both have a MATH problem. 😉 Make that 11/11. Sheesh!
Deb, when I first created the chart for the test results, I had an overlap between two categories. I found myself mumbling about math being my undoing…
Hey now! NOBODDY said math was included.
Finds paper bag.
Breathes into it…
LOL! Jennifer, do you have paper bags to share with me and Janet…er, I mean with Janet and me? 😉
🙂
I may have some in my purse in case of emergencies. Like for when I need to leave a tip.
(And like that extra D…)
My husband made me, MADE ME, stop helping the kids with their homework when I couldn’t figure out grade 4 math.
At leest i can reed.
At the risk of making enemies…I like math 🙂 As my daughter’s algebra teacher used to say, “Numbers are your friends!” I will now hide from the flying rotten tomatoes.
Sarah Sundin! I would NEVER throw a rotten tomato!!
Muahhahaha! I’d throw a green one. But only at a boy.
And why not at you? It might have something to do with, ohhhhh, I don’t know, the fact that you seem to know the insides of a torpedo launcher-y thing?
Thanks for the quiz, Janet. My score of 10 made my day (I expected to do worse). I guess all the daily grams the kids and I have done in homeschooling are helping me.
Our family loves Weird Al. The Word Crimes cracks us up.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
You’re the second person to mention homeschooling contributing to your grammar skills. Every teacher knows they learn more than the students do, which is a nice reward for being a teacher.
11/12, but i had to think about a couple. Good reminder.
What a fun post, Janet! By my score, I’m a grammarphile, but I’m not sure I could have given all the explanations. Maybe it’s like playing the piano by ear? I soaked up enough in high school and college (English major) to write right, but I can’t remember all the details of why.
(I agree with you on split infinitives. They drive me bonkers. But in my writing I’ve forced myself to relax to achieve a less formal tone.)
Meghan, yup, grammar by “ear” works, as long as you were exposed to good grammar to begin with. I feel sorry for the people who grew up hearing incorrect grammar.
This was a great exercise! I scored 8, which I would not be embarrassed about if it weren’t for the fact that I am an editor on a grammar site. Those were some tough ones, and some I hadn’t even thought about. For us grammar Nazis – or is it ‘we’ grammar Nazis [rearrange the sentence to figure out the pronoun…] We self-professed grammar Nazis should know better, but there are a lot of rules to remember 🙂 Thanks for the pop quiz. It reminds me that I am never done learning and refreshing my grammar skills.
Cindy, my husband held the post of grammar expert in our household, which I found unendingly maddening since I’M the editor. He was a mere anthropologist, but, oh, my, did he know his grammar and syntax. He taught me a lot.
Ha ha – not in my house. I could whip my husband’s butt in a grammar or spelling fight. I am the authority in the house. Nobody will play Scrabble with me anymore 🙁
Wait, wait — you mean you don’t just leave it all for the editor to fix? 😉
That’s my philosophy, Jamie Chavez: must leave SOMETHING for the editor to do or you’d put her out of a job, right? Can’t have THAT. 😉
LOL!
May we count a bonus point if we noticed that you said “scrapping” instead of “scraping” in your introductory paragraph? I wouldn’t ordinarily point out spelling errors in someone’s writing without being invited to, but I felt that the topic of your post extended the invitation. 🙂
LC, yes, credit a bonus point to you. That was a typo since I really do know how to spell scraping. (Rushing off to edit that now.)
Yikes! Janet, does this mean I lose a point for not noticing? 🙂
Wendy, I won’t ding you a point for not noticing if you won’t ding me a point for mistyping.
I was sure that you did. Sometimes when I proofread my own work I am surprised by what I find. Somehow fingers on keys don’t always manage to get the words out quite the way we intended them. Thanks for the bonus point! 🙂
I scored 12/12, and while I could attribute it to a creative 7th grade English teacher, I believe the real credit goes to my grammar-Nazi father. He was a logger all his life, but insisted we speak properly. I remember him reading our local paper and showing outrage at a poorly or improperly constructed sentence. His attention to grammar, not just correcting us when we misspoke, but noticing the grammar of others, encouraged me to notice as well. It seems to me that if an uneducated logger can speak properly, then the rest of us have little excuse!
Yay! I’m a grammarphile! However, I know it’s one thing to analyze choices. It’s another to apply them in the writing. A good reason to have another pair of eyes on your ms!!
How about another bonus question:
“You can’t give more than the best–that’s the (penultimate, ultimate) you have to offer.”
Penultimate means “next to last.” It’s not a superlative. I think the correct choice would be “ultimate.”
Phil, you win! I had no idea, and how funny that I was explaining superlatives by using a less than superlative word. Thank you for teaching me something new today.
My pet peeve is the split infinitive.
“To boldly go…” nearly drove me crazy when Star Trek was running. I never could figure our how Mr. Spock, as precise as he was, could stand it either. 😉
In fact, I just corrected a Facebook friend (gently, I hope) by repeating the split infinitive in a corrected form and apologizing that the old English teacher in me will not let me write a split infinitive deliberately.
This is a great list. How I wish grammar were still being taught correctly in today’s schools.
Judith, amen.
“My spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
I got 11/12…didn’t think enough on the first one. 🙂 But honestly, I wouldn’t have gotten that many right except that I work in a college Writing Center and have to know how to teach this stuff to students. Teaching really does teach yourself better than anyone else! Though I’m now seriously doubting the proper grammar of that sentence…
Thanks for a fun and informative post, Janet! 🙂
I struggle with how to have my character’s speak when it comes to the who/whom and the can/may. Because in my life experience it is only the grammar kings and queen’s that get the “who/whom” or “can/may” right or even care. But if I have a average down to earth guy say “whom,” it really changes how he comes across on the page and not necessarily in a positive way.
What are you thoughts?
My opinion is that your characters should speak in a way that represents their personality. Most people, even those who know grammar fairly well, don’t speak in grammatically correct sentences in their everyday interactions. Unless your characters are grammarphiles, they shouldn’t either.
If it’s dialogue, I believe you can get away with it–as long as it clearly reflects your character’s speech, not yours as a writer.
One of my critique group friends shared this blog on Facebook. What a great test!
I always get the lay/lie thing wrong, but scored correctly on the other questions. 🙂
Most of the comments made me laugh out loud. It’s obvious you’re all friends who love and encourage each other.
Now, If I can just figure out what a split infinitive is…
Janet, welcome to our blog. We do have a wonderful online community. When we agents started blogging, we didn’t begin to imagine we would become friends and colleagues to those who regularly post comments, but we have. It’s great fun to go to a writers conference and meet people we’ve come to know from the blog. Thanks for taking the test and reading the comments. I hope you’ll come by to read our blog again.
What a great grammar quiz! You captured a lot of the important edge cases here. I’d also note that the phrase “set my sights on” likely refers to the notches used to aim a rifle (without a scope); these are called “open sights.”
Setting your sights on something is therefore synonymous with aiming at a target.
Re #9 – isn’t it improper to use “remodel” as a noun?
Actually, Merriam-Webster lists the word as both verb and noun. 🙂 It’s impossible to keep up with the way language constantly morphs!
I’m sure you would not be happy to learn that there is a word choice error in this article, but there is: in #10, “You can’t give more than the best–that’s the penultimate you have to offer,” the word penultimate is NOT equal to “the best.” It is next to it. The “ultimate” is the best!
Collegially,
Carol-Ann
Carol-Ann, well, that is embarrassing. Thanks for pointing out the misuse. None of us is perfect…obviously.
Me either! LOL
Thanks bunches for this blog 🙂