More Grammar Myths

Today's topic: MORE Grammar Misconceptions

We all fall victim to grammar myths sometimes.  Here is a list of some of the common ones.    Thanks to Mignon Fogerty, the Internet's "Grammar Girl," for pointing out # 2 (all the words and examples in this post are my own, I just got the idea for #2 from Ms. Fogerty).

*Misconception #1:  "You and I"/"Johnny and I" is always correct--never say "You and me"/"Johnny and me." 

Nope!  Whether to use "I" or "me" depends entirely on the sentence.  Here's a quick, easy trick to ensure that you will never use the wrong personal pronoun again:  Eliminate the other person from the sentence.  Which pronoun is correct now, I or me?  Example:

There's a great portrait of my husband and I/me on the living room wall. 

Let's employ our sneaky new trick, and take the husband out of the sentence (sorry, dear!): 

There's a great portrait of ___ on the living room wall. 

Would it make sense to say "There's a great portrait of I on the living room wall"?  Of course not!  So the correct pronoun in this sentence is "me."  "There's a great portrait of my husband and me on the living room wall."

*Misconception #2:  Run-on sentences are sentences that are too long (or a sentence has to be long in order to be a run-on sentence). 

Nope!  This is one reason (I suspect) why many grammarians now refer to these as "fused" sentences; the term "run-on" creates the erroneous impression that a run-on sentence must "run on."  In truth, run-on sentences can be quite short. 

A run-on, or fused, sentence is one in which two or more independent clauses are linked without appropriate punctuation.  An independent clause (IC), by the way, is a phrase which includes a subject and a verb and could stand alone as a complete sentence.  Since ICs (complete sentences) can be quite short, run-on sentences can be short as well.  Examples:

I love cats, they are so cute. 
It was my turn to cook I made spaghetti. 

Note: The first of these is an example of a comma splice.  A comma splice is a run-on sentence in which the two ICs are linked with a comma.  Commas are weak punctuation; they are not strong enough to separate ICs.  You can fix run-on sentences in a number of different ways.  You can: 1.) Separate the ICs with a semicolon (see my earlier Writing Tip of the Week on semicolons for specifics), 2.) separate the ICs with a period (thereby making them into two sentences), or 3.) separate the ICs with a comma + a conjunction (and, but, or) or other appropriate word.  Which you choose depends on the sentence, of course.  In the first example above I would probably choose a semicolon, because the two ICs are closely related.  In the second example you could add a comma after the word "cook," then the word "and" or "so."  You could also separate the two ICs with a semicolon or period.  It's a style choice.

*Misconception #3: I.e. and e.g. mean the same thing.

Nope.  As I pointed out in my blog post on this topic, i.e. means "in other words," and e.g. means "for example."  You'll find more details and examples of proper usage in my original post:  http://writingtipoftheweek.blogspot.com/2013/10/ie-vs-eg.html

*Misconception #4: You should never start a sentence with a conjunction (and, but, or).

Nope!  I'm not sure why people perpetuate this myth.  People have been starting sentences with "and," "but," and "or" for hundreds of years.  As grammarian and author Patricia T. O'Conner points out in her book Woe is I: The Grammarphobe's Guide to Better English in Plain English, it "feels natural because it is natural," and what's wrong with that?  Nothing.  As long as your sentence is complete, with a subject and predicate, feel free to start it with a conjunction.

*Misconception #5: Passive voice is always wrong (or always right).

Nope.  There are situations where passive voice is correct,  and situations where active voice is correct.

If you aren't familiar with passive and active voice, here's a quick primer.  Passive voice puts the emphasis on the passive recipient of an action (someone or something having something done TO them), while active voice emphasizes the doer.  For example:

Passive voice:  The paper was written by Sarah.
Active voice:  Sarah wrote the paper.

Passive voice:  Several studies were found which examined the effects of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds.
Active voice:  I found several studies which examined the effects of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigolds.

Passive voice:  The study was conducted at a small midwestern family practice clinic.
Active voice:  We conducted the study at a small midwestern family practice clinic.

Most of the time, active voice is clearer and more concise.  I know what you're thinking: "But I was told never to use "I" or "we" in scientific writing!"  And you are right; for decades, science writers avoided the first person in favor of passive voice constructions like "The study was conducted..." and "The following search terms were used..."  However, now many style guides (including the latest edition of the APA handbook) specifically recommend active voice, which means first person is now on the table for scientific writers.  I know some of you are going to balk at this, but don't shoot the messenger.  If you don't believe me, check the 6th edition APA style manual!

That said, sometimes passive voice works better.  Sometimes you want to put the emphasis on the recipient of the action, not on who or what did it.  For example:

"The king was assassinated."  In this case, we don't care that Joe Nobody assassinated the king.  The important thing is that the king is dead.  So the passive voice works better here.

"The lights were installed on the top and sides of the cabinet."  Again, here we want the emphasis on the recipient of the action (the lights).  We don't care that John Doe installed the lights; we care where they are.  Passive voice wins again.  Passive voice also wins when you don't know who is responsible for the action.

So.  Active voice is usually better, but passive voice is fine in certain situations.

I hope you found this post helpful.  Happy scribbling!