When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People: How to Avoid Common Errors in English

by Ann Batko, Edward Rosenheim (Editor)

Overview

Ever stumble when choosing between who and whom, affect and effect, "lay" and "lie"?

Are you worried that how you speak or write is holding you back at work? Do you fear you're making frequent conversational errors, but just aren't sure what's correct? How you use language tells people a good deal about who you are, how you think, and how you communicate. Making simple errors in written and spoken English can make you seem less sophisticated, even less intelligent, than you really are. And that can affect (not effect) your relationships, your friendships, and even your career.

This comprehensive, easy-to-use reference is a program designed to help you identify and correct the most common errors in written and spoken English.

After a short and simple review of some basic principles, When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People is organized in the most useful way possible—by error type, such as Problem Pronouns or Mixing up Words that Sound the Same. You choose how to work your way through, either sequentially or in the order most relevant to you. Each unit contains tests at the end to help you reinforce what you've learned. Best of all, the information is presented in a clear, lively, and conversational style—this is not your eighth-grade grammar textbook!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781564147226
Publisher:	Red Wheel/Weiser
Publication date:	05/15/2004
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Ann Batko is a business communications expert and former executive editor of Rand McNally & Company. She has trained numerous advertising, marketing, and publishing executives how to be effective writers and presenters.

Edward Rosenheim is the David B. and Clara E. Stern Professor Emeritus, in the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago, where he taught for 42 years. For 20 years, he was the editor of the prestigious journal Modern Philology.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	17
	Introduction: How Do We Learn to Speak Correctly?	21
	Pretest	27
	Grammar Review	31
Chapter 1	Perplexing Pronouns	55
	A Lesson on Pronoun Cases	56
	Use the Subjective Case When...	57
	Use the Objective Case When...	58
	Use the Possessive Case When...	58
	Subjective and Objective Cases	59
1.	I vs. Me	59
2.	She vs. Her	60
3.	Who vs. Whom	61
4.	Whoever vs. Whomever	62
	Test: Subjective and Objective Case	63
	Answer Key: Subjective and Objective Case	65
	Objective and Possessive Case	67
5.	His vs. Him	67
6.	Their vs. Them	67
	Test: Objective and Possessive Case	69
	Answer Key: Objective and Possessive Case	69
	Relative Pronouns: "Which," "That," and "Who/Whom"	71
7.	Which vs. That	73
	Test: Relative Pronouns	73
	Answer Key: Relative Pronouns	74
	Intensive or Reflexive Pronouns-What They're for and Where NOT to Put Them	75
8.	Me vs. Myself	76
	Test: Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns	76
	Answer Key: Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns	77
Chapter 2	Vexing Verbs	79
	Transitive and Intransitive Verbs	79
9.	Lie vs. Lay	81
10.	Sit vs. Set	84
	Test: Transitive and Intransitive Verbs	85
	Answer Key: Transitive and Intransitive Verbs	86
	A Lesson on Verb Tenses	86
	Forms of the Verb "to Be" Across the Six Tenses	89
	"Shall" and "Will"	91
	Tricky Verb Tenses	91
11.	Do	91
12.	Burst	92
13.	Dive	93
14.	Drink	93
15.	Swim	94
16.	Ring	94
17.	Sing	95
18.	Spring	95
19.	Hang	96
20.	Drive	96
21.	Ought	97
22.	Be sure and	97
23.	Try and	98
	Test: Tricky Verb Tenses	98
	Answer Key: Tricky Verb Tenses	99
	The Subjunctive Mood	100
24.	If I Was vs. If I Were	102
	Test: The Subjunctive	103
	Answer Key: The Subjective	103
Chapter 3	Ambiguous Agreements	105
25.	Subjects With Complex Modifiers	106
	Agreement With Compound Subjects	107
26.	Subjects Joined by "And"	108
27.	"Either/Or" and "Neither/Nor"	109
28.	Subjects Joined by "Or"	110
	Test: Compound Subjects and Verbs	111
	Answer Key: Compound Subjects and Verbs	112
	Agreement With Indefinite Pronouns	113
29.	Each...Are	113
30.	None...Is/Are	114
	Test: Indefinite Pronouns and Verbs	116
	Answer Key: Indefinite Pronouns and Verbs	117
	Indefinite Pronouns and Personal Pronouns	118
31.	Everyone...Their	118
	Test: Indefinite Pronouns and Personal Pronouns	120
	Answer Key: Indefinite Pronouns and Personal Pronouns	121
Chapter 4	Mangled Modifiers	123
	Adjectives vs. Adverbs	123
32.	Bad vs. Badly	123
33.	Real vs. Really	124
34.	Near vs. Nearly	125
35.	Good vs. Well	125
	Test: Adjectives vs. Adverbs	126
	Answer Key: Adjectives vs. Adverbs	127
	Comparatives vs. Superlatives	127
36.	Bigger vs. Biggest	127
37.	Less vs. Least	128
38.	Better vs. Best	128
39.	More vs. Most	129
	Test: Comparatives vs. Superlatives	130
	Answer Key: Comparatives vs. Superlatives	130
	Distance/Number/Quantity Modifiers	131
40.	Between vs. Among	131
41.	Fewer vs. Less	131
42.	Farther vs. Further	132
43.	Number vs. Amount	132
44.	So far as vs. As far as	133
	Test: Distance/Number/Quantity Modifiers	133
	Answer Key: Distance/Number/Quantity Modifiers	134
	Absolute Modifiers	135
45.	Unique vs. Most Unique	135
46.	Perfect vs. More Perfect	136
47.	Infinite vs. Less Infinite	136
48.	Ultimate vs. Penultimate	137
49.	Pregnant vs. Less Pregnant	137
	Test: Absolute Modifiers	138
	Answer Key: Absolute Modifiers	139
	Imprecise and Made-up Modifiers	139
50.	Hopefully	139
51.	Regretfully	140
52.	Awful	141
53.	Plenty	141
	Test: Imprecise and Made-up Modifiers	141
	Answer Key: Imprecise and Made-up Modifiers	142
Chapter 5	Problem Prepositions	143
	Prepositions Expressing Fine Shades of Meaning	143
54.	Agree to vs. Agree with	143
55.	Differ with vs. Differ from	144
56.	Different from vs. Different than	144
	Test: Prepositions That Express Fine Shades of Meaning	145
	Answer Key: Prpositions That Express Fine Shades of Meaning	146
	Unidiomatic and Superfluous Prepositions	146
57.	Centers around	146
58.	Where...at	147
59.	As to	147
60.	Off of	148
61.	Over with	148
62.	Type of a	149
	Test: Unidiomatic and Superfluous Prepositions	149
	Key: Unidiomatic and Superfluous Prepositions	149
Chapter 6	Confused Connections	151
	Bookend Expressions	152
63.	Not only...But/But also	152
64.	On the one hand...On the other hand	153
65.	Either...Or	154
66.	Neither...Nor	154
67.	As...As	154
68.	The Reason...Was That	155
	Test: Bookend Expressions	155
	Answer Key: Bookend Expressions	156
	Imprecise, Pretentious, or Needless Connectors	157
69.	Where	157
70.	Per	158
71.	Plus	158
72.	As to whether	159
73.	In the event that	159
74.	Owing to the fact that	160
75.	As vs. Because and Since	160
	Test: Imprecise Conjunctions and Connectors	160
	Answer Key: Imprecise Conjunctions and Connectors	161
Chapter 7	Puzzling Plurals	163
76.	Media	163
77.	Data	164
78.	Alumni	165
79.	Criteria	166
80.	Phenomena	166
81.	Memoranda	167
	Test: Puzzling Plurals	167
	Answer Key: Puzzling Plurals	168
Chapter 8	Mixing up Words That Sound the Same	169
82.	Accept vs. Except	170
83.	Advice vs. Advise	170
84.	Affect vs. Effect	171
85.	Amoral vs. Immoral	171
86.	Averse vs. Adverse	172
87.	Beside vs. Besides	173
88.	Biannually vs. Biennially	173
89.	Climatic vs. Climatic	174
90.	Could of vs. Could have	174
91.	Elude vs. Allude	175
92.	Imminent vs. Eminent	175
93.	Ingenious vs. Ingenuous	176
94.	Jibe vs. Jive	176
95.	Tack vs. Tact	177
96.	Tortuous vs. Torturous	177
	Test: Mixing up Words That Sound the Same	178
	Answer Key: Mixing up Words That Sound the Same	179
Chapter 9	Mixing up Words That Look the Same	181
97.	Adapt vs. Adopt	181
98.	Allusion vs. Illusion vs. Delusion	182
99.	Assignment vs. Assignation	183
100.	Childlike vs. Childish	183
101.	Continual vs. Continuous	184
102.	Creditable vs. Credible vs. Credulous	185
103.	Incredible vs. Incredulous	185
104.	Elegy vs. Eulogy	186
105.	Epitaph vs. Epithet	186
106.	Flaunt vs. Flout	187
107.	Luxurious vs. Luxuriant	187
108.	Morale vs. Moral	188
109.	Periodic vs. Periodical	189
110.	Persecute vs. Prosecute	189
111.	Proceed vs. Precede	190
112.	Respectful vs. Respective	190
113.	Sensuous vs. Sensual	191
114.	Simple vs. Simplistic	192
115.	Uninterested vs. Disinterested	192
	Test: Mixing up Words That Look the Same	193
	Answer Key: Mixing up Words That Look the Same	195
Chapter 10	Mixing up Words Whose Meanings Are Related	197
116.	Annoy vs. Irritate vs. Aggravate	197
117.	Burglary vs. Robbery	198
118.	Can vs. May	199
119.	Compose vs. Comprise	199
120.	Convince vs. Persuade	200
121.	Eager vs. Anxious	201
122.	Explicit vs. Implicit	201
123.	Figuratively vs. Literally vs. Virtually	202
124.	Imply vs. Infer	203
125.	Kind of/Sort of vs. Rather	204
126.	Let vs. Leave	204
127.	Like vs. As and As if	205
128.	Likely vs. Apt vs. Liable	205
129.	Percent vs. Percentage	206
130.	Quote vs. Quotation	207
131.	Semiannually vs. Semimonthly vs. Semiweekly	207
132.	Serve vs. Service	208
133.	Take vs. Bring	209
134.	Use vs. Utilize	209
	Test: Mixing up Words Whose Meanings Are Related	210
	Answer Key: Mixing up Words Whose Meanings Are Related	213
Chapter 11	Made-up Words	215
135.	Irregardless	215
136.	Authored	216
137.	Critiqued	216
138.	Gift	216
139.	Adding "-ize"	217
140.	Enthuse	217
141.	Adding "-wise"	218
	Test: Made-up Words	219
	Answer Key: Made-up Words	220
Chapter 12	Wasteful Words and Infelicities	221
142.	A half a	221
143.	And et cetera	221
144.	Like	222
145.	The field of	222
146.	Needless to say	222
147.	Time period	223
148.	Party	223
	Test: Wasteful Words	224
	Answer Key: Wasteful Words	224
Chapter 13	Mispronounced Words	227
149.	Air vs. Err	227
150.	Anyways vs. Anyway	228
151.	A ways vs. A way	228
152.	Cent vs. Cents	228
153.	Libary vs. Library	228
154.	Reconize vs. Recognize	229
155.	Stricly vs. Strictly	229
156.	Heighth vs. Height	229
157.	Athaletics vs. Athletics	229
158.	Goverment vs. Government	229
159.	Irrevelant vs. Irrelevant	230
160.	Temperment vs. Temperament	230
161.	Lightening vs. Lightning	230
162.	Mischevious vs. Mischievous	230
163.	Grevious vs. Grievous	230
164.	Histry vs. History	231
165.	Nucular vs. Nuclear	231
166.	Perscription vs. Prescription	231
167.	Prespiration vs. Perspiration	231
168.	Disasterous vs. Disastrous	232
169.	Accidently vs. Accidentally	232
170.	Representive vs. Representative	232
171.	Preform vs. Perform	232
172.	Asterik vs. Asterisk	232
173.	Artic vs. Arctic	233
174.	Anartica vs. Antarctica	233
175.	Expresso vs. Espresso	233
	Review Tests	235
	Index	249
	About the Author and Editor	255

Editorial Reviews

When writing a business memo or a correspondence, choosing between lie or lay, who and whom, or affect and effect can be vexing for even the most prolific writer. In When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People, business coach and editor Ann Batko presents an easy-to-use guidebook to help writers at all levels improve their word usage and untangle themselves from the most daunting complexities of the English language. Her excellent grammatical advice is usable, straightforward and conversational. Copyright © 2004 Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Soundview Executive Book Summaries