Today's topic: The Oxford (or "serial") comma
Quick quiz. Which is correct?
A. I bought apples, oranges and bananas.
OR
B. I bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
Note that in both examples, we have a list of three items. The
difference is whether the author used the Oxford (a.k.a. "serial,"
a.k.a. "Harvard") comma, a comma that in a series of three or more items
comes between the second-to-last item and the "and."
In the example above, the Oxford comma is highlighted in yellow. So
let's have the results of our quiz...
If you said A, you're right.
If you said, B, you're right.
Everybody wins, huh? Not so much. The irritating fact is that there is
no true consensus on whether to use the Oxford comma. Some style
manuals say to always use it, some say to never use it, and some say to
use it only in certain circumstances. Ugh, ambiguity.
Both the Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) and the 6th edition APA
handbook say to use the Oxford comma. However, the AP manual (used by
journalists) says not to use it. Also, amusingly, Oxford University no
longer recommends using the comma that bears its
name.
So how should we determine whether to use the Oxford comma? Since there
isn't a consensus, I think the rule of thumb should be to use it when
it is
necessary to avoid confusion. For example, take this sentence:
I'd like to thank my parents, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Colin Powell.
The way that's punctuated, it looks like the author's parents are
Madeline Albright and Colin Powell. On the other hand, if you use the
Oxford comma...
I'd like to thank my parents, former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and Colin Powell.
In that example, it's clear that the author is thanking four people.
She's thanking her parents, and she's also thanking Madeline Albright
and Colin Powell.
So. In sentences where omitting the Oxford comma might cause confusion,
I say put it in. However, you should definitely make sure to check
the author guidelines of the journals to which you submit, as well as
any style manual required by a professor or journal
editor.
For information on which style guides and organizations say to use the
Oxford comma and which say to omit it, check out this entertaining
chart:
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/oxford-comma-pictures?page=all
I hope you found this week's post helpful. Happy scribbling!
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Subject Verb (Dis)Agreement
Today's topic: Subject-verb (dis)agreement
Problems with subject-verb agreement definitely make the "grammar greatest hits" list. As my granddad used to say, "if I had a nickel" for every subject-verb clash I see, I'd be able to retire pretty soon. If you don't do anything else to improve your writing this week, take the time to read this post. It may save you from an editor's wrath some day.
What does "subject-verb agreement" mean? As you know, a complete sentence must have a subject (which tells us who or what is performing the action) and a verb (which tells us what that action is). If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. Here are some simple examples to show proper S-V agreement:
The cat loves her new bowl. "Cat" is singular, and "loves" is singular.
S V
The cats love their new bowl. "Cats" is plural, and "love" is plural.
S V
Each patient in the ICU has a private room.
S V
Everyone in our culture has his or her own beliefs about this difficult issue.
S V
Most people wouldn't make mistakes with those simple, straightforward sentences, because it is very clear where the subjects and verbs are. Some people might raise an eyebrow at the last example, because many people erroneously believe that the words "everybody" and "everyone" are plural (in fact they are singular, referring to every individual body and every individual one). But most of us would have gotten those four right. However, it isn't always this easy. The more words there are between a subject and its verb, the harder it can be to ensure subject-verb agreement.
Let's get more complicated. Which of the following is correct?
A. Evaluation of the new innovation, with a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement, is essential.
B. Evaluation of the new innovation, with a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement, are essential.
If you guessed A, pat yourself on the back (or have a cupcake). You're correct!
This is a tough one, because there are so many words between the subject ("evaluation") and the verb phrase that connects to it ("is essential").
It could also be confusing because at first glance you might think this sentence has more than one subject--that more than one thing is being identified as essential in this sentence. You might think the author is saying that both evaluation of the new innovation AND a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement are essential. But look closer, and you'll see that the focus on patient safety and quality improvement is presented as PART OF evaluation of the new innovation. The word "with" is what clues us in to that. You wouldn't say "Pizza with pepperoni and green peppers are my favorite dish," right? You'd say "Pizza with pepperoni and green peppers is my favorite dish." Same situation.
Let's do another one. Which of these is correct?
A. A need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care were the main topics of discussion at last week's meeting.
B. A need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care was the main topic of discussion at last week's meeting.
If you guessed B, you are correct! This example is tricky in a similar way to the previous example. At first glance, it could look as though the author is simply listing two topics that have come up at recent meetings--improving patient education, and follow-up care. However, look closer and you will see that the subject of the sentence is actually the NEED for these two things, and it is the NEED for both improved patient education and better follow-up care that was discussed at these meetings.
Note that based on the order of the two list items we can tell that they are closely connected--they talked about a need to improve both patient education and follow-up care. If we flipped the order of the two list items, it might be a different story. This would actually be okay, but the meaning would be different: The need for follow-up care and improvements in patient education were the main topics of discussion at last week's meeting. This wording presents two separate topics, so the subject and verb are both plural However, the original wording breaks down like this:
The need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care has been
S-singular V-singular
a topic of discussion at several recent meetings.
Remember that the longer and more complex a sentence, the more likely it is that you will accidentally end up with a mismatched subject and verb pair. This is yet another excellent reason to read your work aloud when you proofread, and to read slowly and carefully. Make sure you are clear about which word or phrase is the subject of your sentence, and then make sure it matches the verb.
I hope this post has helped clarify the tricky topic of subject-verb agreement. Happy scribbling!
Problems with subject-verb agreement definitely make the "grammar greatest hits" list. As my granddad used to say, "if I had a nickel" for every subject-verb clash I see, I'd be able to retire pretty soon. If you don't do anything else to improve your writing this week, take the time to read this post. It may save you from an editor's wrath some day.
What does "subject-verb agreement" mean? As you know, a complete sentence must have a subject (which tells us who or what is performing the action) and a verb (which tells us what that action is). If the subject is plural, the verb must also be plural. If the subject is singular, the verb must also be singular. Here are some simple examples to show proper S-V agreement:
The cat loves her new bowl. "Cat" is singular, and "loves" is singular.
S V
The cats love their new bowl. "Cats" is plural, and "love" is plural.
S V
Each patient in the ICU has a private room.
S V
Everyone in our culture has his or her own beliefs about this difficult issue.
S V
Most people wouldn't make mistakes with those simple, straightforward sentences, because it is very clear where the subjects and verbs are. Some people might raise an eyebrow at the last example, because many people erroneously believe that the words "everybody" and "everyone" are plural (in fact they are singular, referring to every individual body and every individual one). But most of us would have gotten those four right. However, it isn't always this easy. The more words there are between a subject and its verb, the harder it can be to ensure subject-verb agreement.
Let's get more complicated. Which of the following is correct?
A. Evaluation of the new innovation, with a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement, is essential.
B. Evaluation of the new innovation, with a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement, are essential.
If you guessed A, pat yourself on the back (or have a cupcake). You're correct!
This is a tough one, because there are so many words between the subject ("evaluation") and the verb phrase that connects to it ("is essential").
It could also be confusing because at first glance you might think this sentence has more than one subject--that more than one thing is being identified as essential in this sentence. You might think the author is saying that both evaluation of the new innovation AND a special focus on patient safety and quality improvement are essential. But look closer, and you'll see that the focus on patient safety and quality improvement is presented as PART OF evaluation of the new innovation. The word "with" is what clues us in to that. You wouldn't say "Pizza with pepperoni and green peppers are my favorite dish," right? You'd say "Pizza with pepperoni and green peppers is my favorite dish." Same situation.
Let's do another one. Which of these is correct?
A. A need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care were the main topics of discussion at last week's meeting.
B. A need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care was the main topic of discussion at last week's meeting.
If you guessed B, you are correct! This example is tricky in a similar way to the previous example. At first glance, it could look as though the author is simply listing two topics that have come up at recent meetings--improving patient education, and follow-up care. However, look closer and you will see that the subject of the sentence is actually the NEED for these two things, and it is the NEED for both improved patient education and better follow-up care that was discussed at these meetings.
Note that based on the order of the two list items we can tell that they are closely connected--they talked about a need to improve both patient education and follow-up care. If we flipped the order of the two list items, it might be a different story. This would actually be okay, but the meaning would be different: The need for follow-up care and improvements in patient education were the main topics of discussion at last week's meeting. This wording presents two separate topics, so the subject and verb are both plural However, the original wording breaks down like this:
The need for improvements in patient education and follow-up care has been
S-singular V-singular
a topic of discussion at several recent meetings.
Remember that the longer and more complex a sentence, the more likely it is that you will accidentally end up with a mismatched subject and verb pair. This is yet another excellent reason to read your work aloud when you proofread, and to read slowly and carefully. Make sure you are clear about which word or phrase is the subject of your sentence, and then make sure it matches the verb.
I hope this post has helped clarify the tricky topic of subject-verb agreement. Happy scribbling!
Who vs. Whom
Believe it or not, this week's post was inspired by an owl. Or rather, a wonderfully quirky owl-shaped throw pillow my husband gave me. We were talking about what to call him (he's got a lot of personality--he needed a name), and my husband suggested "Whom." And lo, the topic for this week's tip was born.
So. Who vs. whom. Most of us struggle with this one from time to time. Fortunately, it's not terribly difficult once you learn the rules, and there is an easy trick to help you remember those.
What are "who" and "whom?" They are pronouns, just like him/her/his/hers/they/their/theirs/it/etc. To decide whether to use "who" or "whom," you have to determine whether your pronoun will be the subject or the object of the sentence. Bear with me for a second and all will become clear.
The subject of a sentence is the ACTOR--in other words, who or what is doing something. The object of a sentence is the RECIPIENT OF THAT ACTION--who or what is having something done to them. Let's look at some examples:
I fired Janet. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "Janet" is the object (poor Janet).
I married Paul eleven years ago today. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "Paul" is the object (lucky Paul).
I treated that patient last week. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "that patient" is the object.
Internet "Grammar Girl" Mignon Fogerty has a neat trick for remembering which is the subject and which is the object in a sentence. She suggests thinking about the sentence "I love you," and remembering that "you" are the OBJECT of my affection (and the OBJECT of that sentence).
So...when do I use "who" and when do I use "whom?" Use "who" when you are referring to the subject of a sentence, and use "whom" when you are referring to the object. That's:
WHO = SUBJECT: The one who's doing something
WHOM = OBJECT: The one who's having something done to him/her
Examples:
Whom: Referring to the object of the sentence:
Whom did you fire? I fired Janet.
Whom did you marry? I married Paul.
Whom did you treat last week? I treated that patient.
With whom are you going snorkeling? I'm going snorkeling with Sarah.
In these examples, we're asking about the OBJECT, the recipient of action, the person having something done to him or her (Janet, Paul, that guy).
Who: Referring to the subject of the sentence:
Who fired Janet? I did.
Who married Paul? I did.
Who treated that guy last week? I did.
Who's going snorkeling with Sarah? I am.
In these examples, we're asking about the SUBJECT, the person who did something (fired Janet, married Paul, treated that guy, went snorkeling with Sarah).
A trick to help you remember: Since high school, I've used this to help me remember when to use "whom." As you probably noticed, "whom" ends in "m." So does the pronoun "him." If you can't decide whether to use "who" or "whom," just think--if I asked myself the question, would the answer be "he," or "him?" Example:
If you ask, "who/m did I marry?" you'd answer "I married him." You wouldn't say "I married he." So the correct pronoun here is "whom:" Whom did I marry? Him=whom.
If you ask, "with who/m am I going to the party?" you'd answer "I'm going to the party with him." You wouldn't say, "I'm going to the party with he." In this case, the correct pronoun is "whom." Him=whom.
If you ask "who/m fired Janet?" you'd answer "He fired Janet." You wouldn't say "Him fired Janet" (unless you suddenly started talking like Tarzan). So the correct pronoun here is "who:" Who fired Janet? He=who.
If you ask "who/m invited Joe to the party?" you'd answer "He invited Joe to the party." You wouldn't say "Him invited Joe to the party." In this case, the correct pronoun is "who." He=who.
Just remember the WHOM/HIM connection, and you should be fine.
Also: If you want a good laugh, check out this handy comic on how to use "whom," by hilarious genius "The Oatmeal" (warning--it's a little silly and irreverent): http://theoatmeal.com/comics/who_vs_whom
I hope you found this week's post helpful.
So. Who vs. whom. Most of us struggle with this one from time to time. Fortunately, it's not terribly difficult once you learn the rules, and there is an easy trick to help you remember those.
What are "who" and "whom?" They are pronouns, just like him/her/his/hers/they/their/theirs/it/etc. To decide whether to use "who" or "whom," you have to determine whether your pronoun will be the subject or the object of the sentence. Bear with me for a second and all will become clear.
The subject of a sentence is the ACTOR--in other words, who or what is doing something. The object of a sentence is the RECIPIENT OF THAT ACTION--who or what is having something done to them. Let's look at some examples:
I fired Janet. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "Janet" is the object (poor Janet).
I married Paul eleven years ago today. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "Paul" is the object (lucky Paul).
I treated that patient last week. In this sentence, "I" is the subject and "that patient" is the object.
Internet "Grammar Girl" Mignon Fogerty has a neat trick for remembering which is the subject and which is the object in a sentence. She suggests thinking about the sentence "I love you," and remembering that "you" are the OBJECT of my affection (and the OBJECT of that sentence).
So...when do I use "who" and when do I use "whom?" Use "who" when you are referring to the subject of a sentence, and use "whom" when you are referring to the object. That's:
WHO = SUBJECT: The one who's doing something
WHOM = OBJECT: The one who's having something done to him/her
Examples:
Whom: Referring to the object of the sentence:
Whom did you fire? I fired Janet.
Whom did you marry? I married Paul.
Whom did you treat last week? I treated that patient.
With whom are you going snorkeling? I'm going snorkeling with Sarah.
In these examples, we're asking about the OBJECT, the recipient of action, the person having something done to him or her (Janet, Paul, that guy).
Who: Referring to the subject of the sentence:
Who fired Janet? I did.
Who married Paul? I did.
Who treated that guy last week? I did.
Who's going snorkeling with Sarah? I am.
In these examples, we're asking about the SUBJECT, the person who did something (fired Janet, married Paul, treated that guy, went snorkeling with Sarah).
A trick to help you remember: Since high school, I've used this to help me remember when to use "whom." As you probably noticed, "whom" ends in "m." So does the pronoun "him." If you can't decide whether to use "who" or "whom," just think--if I asked myself the question, would the answer be "he," or "him?" Example:
If you ask, "who/m did I marry?" you'd answer "I married him." You wouldn't say "I married he." So the correct pronoun here is "whom:" Whom did I marry? Him=whom.
If you ask, "with who/m am I going to the party?" you'd answer "I'm going to the party with him." You wouldn't say, "I'm going to the party with he." In this case, the correct pronoun is "whom." Him=whom.
If you ask "who/m fired Janet?" you'd answer "He fired Janet." You wouldn't say "Him fired Janet" (unless you suddenly started talking like Tarzan). So the correct pronoun here is "who:" Who fired Janet? He=who.
If you ask "who/m invited Joe to the party?" you'd answer "He invited Joe to the party." You wouldn't say "Him invited Joe to the party." In this case, the correct pronoun is "who." He=who.
Just remember the WHOM/HIM connection, and you should be fine.
Also: If you want a good laugh, check out this handy comic on how to use "whom," by hilarious genius "The Oatmeal" (warning--it's a little silly and irreverent): http://theoatmeal.com/comics/who_vs_whom
I hope you found this week's post helpful.
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