Here are 11 essentials of grammar to master this year. They are some of the most often missed points.
1. Plurals don’t get apostrophes. Gather up all the Christmas cards and see how many are from the Hartness’ or the Sheridan’s or the Joneses’. It’s the Hartnesses, the Sheridans, and the Joneses.
2. Comprised. Don’t put of after it. Comprise means to include. Most plays comprise (or include) three acts. The acts don’t comprise the play. And neither is the play comprised of (or included of, which doesn’t make any sense) three acts.
3. Continuous means without stopping and continual means going on with breaks here and there. Turn on the hose and there’s a continuous stream of water. But someone who likes to complain is someone who continually gripes.
4. Different from or different than? One thing differs from another, so it’s different from.
5. Commas and periods always go inside quotes. “It’s raining,” he said. “We’ll need our umbrellas.” The name of the poem is “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”
Question marks and exclamation points go inside or outside quotes according to logic. Who wrote “The Charge of the Light Brigade”? I demand that you memorize “The Charge of the Light Brigade”!
6. Four expressions that don’t need to be spoken and should never be written: I mean, you know, like, and basically.
7. A lot is two words. It means a lot, or a ton, or a plethora of something. Alot is not a word. It’s just a mistake.
8. All right is also two words. It means all is right, or well, or taken care of. Alright is not a word.
9. Nauseated means sick. Nauseous means sickening. To say, “I’m nauseous” means “I nauseate people.”
10. The Oxford comma is the one that comes before the last item in a list and it’s a good comma.
It’s not always needed to make something clear. Everyone understands we studied reading, writing, ciphering and history. But sometimes it is needed, as in your sandwich choices are chicken, egg salad, ham and cheese and pickle. Is the next to last one ham or ham and cheese? And is the last one cheese and pickle or just pickle?
Because punctuation needs to be consistent, stick with the Oxford comma.
11. And now for the worst of the worst. It’s lie versus lay. The only sure way to get it right is to remember lie-lay-lain (recline) and lay-laid-laid (place). People sit down and lie down. People place or lay things on a table.
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