Tag Archive for: grammar tips

Public Service Announcement Regarding Apostrophes – Part 4 

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We’ve spent the past three weeks pluralizing last names WITHOUT using a single apostrophe. So, that leads to a question I would ask: What if it looks ugly?

 

For example, my friend’s last name is Collins. She detests the way her pluralized last name looks: Collinses. She refused to order a welcome mat for her front door because she didn’t like how “Welcome from the Collinses” looked on the doormat. However, I wouldn’t let her have a grammatically incorrect doormat. Even if you don’t like how it looks, it’s still grammatically correct to add the “es.” You never use an apostrophe.

 

The correct answers to our earlier pop quiz questions are:

 

Merry Christmas from the Humphreys 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lowerys 

Happy Holidays from the Blinkinses 

Best wishes from the Marquezes 

Thank you from the Carsellos

 

And listen, I get it. My colleague’s last name is Walters. The plural expression of her last name is Walterses. She thinks it looks awkward and clunky. So, if you don’t like how your name looks when making it plural for this year’s holiday greeting cards, then here’s a solution that works for everyone. Cheat. Change the wording. You are welcome to say:

 

Merry Christmas from the Walters Family

Season’s Greetings from the Collins Family

 

But, whatever you do, don’t add an apostrophe.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Public Service Announcement Regarding Apostrophes – Part 3 

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Last week we answered questions 1 and 2. This week let’s tackle questions 3 and 4. As a reminder, we’re talking about how to pluralize last names for our Christmas and holiday greeting cards.

 

Question 3: What if my last name ends with an “x,” or a “z,” or an “sh,” or with “ch”?

 

Question 4: What if my last name ends with “y”?

 

The answer to the above questions remains the same: No apostrophe is needed. Ever. Never use apostrophes to pluralize your last name on your greeting cards. Ever.

 

What if your last name ends with an “x,” or a “z,” or an “sh,” or with “ch”? The same pluralization rule holds true with these examples. If the last name is Birch, the plural is Birches. If the last name is Lomax, the plural is Lomaxes. If the last name is Samesh, the plural is Sameshes. If the last name is Nantz, the plural is Nantzes.

 

What if your last name ends with “y”? With common nouns that end with “y” such as baby, the grammar rule dictates changing the “y” to “i” and adding “es.” Baby becomes babies when pluralized. However, that rule does not apply to proper names. You will never change the spelling of your last name to make it plural; you simply keep the “y” and add an “s” to the end. If the last name is Kerry, the plural is Kerrys, NOT Kerries. And, what if your last name ends with a “ys” already? You add “es” to the end of the “ys.” An example is Humphreyses.

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Public Service Announcement Regarding Apostrophes – Part 1 

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By far, the most lively discussions that arise during my Grammar-for-Grownups seminars involve the amazing apostrophe and its role in pluralizing last names. Let’s see how you do on the same pop quiz I give the participants.

 

Which is grammatically correct? 

 

Merry Christmas from the Humphrey’s

or

Merry Christmas from the Humphreys

 

If you found that question easy to answer, then what about this one?

 

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lowery’s

or

Happy Thanksgiving from the Lowerys

or

Happy Thanksgiving from the Loweries

 

Which one of these is grammatically correct? (The last name is Blinkins.)

 

Happy Holidays from the Blinkins

or 

Happy Holidays from the Blinkins’

or

Happy Holidays from the Blinkins’s

or

Happy Holidays from the Blinkinses

 

Two more.

 

Best wishes from the Marquez’s

or

Best wishes from the Marquezes

 

Thank you from the Carsello’s

or

Thank you from the Carsellos

or

Thank you from the Carselloes

 

This is a popular topic this time of year. Check the blog next Wednesday for the answers. 

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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How Many Spaces After a Period?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Question 1:

“I believe we discussed this in class, but I can’t remember how many spaces you said to place between sentences in a paragraph. I’m used to placing two spaces after the period between sentences, but I have also seen it with one space. Thank you.”

 

Well, we’re wrapping up this series of blog posts with a doozy, aren’t we? When I share the answer to this question during live business writing workshops, sometimes people boo and moan and groan. Old habits die hard. The answer is unequivocally one space. 

 

But, before you stop reading and log out in frustration, please know I’m a former two-spacer. I feel your pain. I’m old enough that when I learned to type, it was on an electric typewriter (at least it wasn’t a manual one) rather than a computer keyboard. We were taught to place two spaces after periods and colons. I used two spaces forever—that is, until my graphic designer fussed at me one day. John told me I was causing him extra time and extra work. He said, “Every time you submit copy to me in Word, I have to manually go in and remove all the extra spaces when I upload it to my graphic design program. If I don’t, you’ll have all these ugly rivers of white space running through your one-sheets and brochures.” Who knew? He taught me that one space following a period is preferred.

 

You may be asking, “Why did this rule change?” Quite frankly, many admins in the workplace today have never even heard of the two-space rule. They’ve always been taught one space. That’s because Microsoft does the extra spacing for us. In Word, when you end a sentence with a period and begin the next sentence with a capital letter, Word automatically converts it to an em-space. The lowercase “m” is the widest letter in any font you use (except Courier, in which letters are equally spaced and sized). By adding the em-space, our word processors save us the extra keystroke of adding two spaces after the period. It gives our eyes just a bit of breathing room between sentences without creating those dreaded rivers of white space throughout our documents. The answer is one space. 

 

One of my clients even has a t-shirt that reads: “Two Spaces after a Period Are the Mom Jeans of Punctuation.”

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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begin a sentence with because

Can You Begin a Sentence with Because?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

Number 2: Can you begin a sentence with because?

 

I’d like to discuss the use of “because,” whether to use it at the beginning of a sentence, when and when not. What are better ways of explaining it?

 

Because this question was shared by a participant in IAAP’s CAPstone Business Writing Specialty Certificate course, I’ll answer it in this blog post.

 

The above sentence exemplifies the correct use of because at the beginning of a sentence. Because shows causal relationships. It introduces an essential clause at the beginning of the sentence. I’ll answer the question because one of my participants asked it.

 

I believe people have been told not to begin sentences with because BECAUSE sometimes the sentences end up being incomplete sentences or sentence fragments.

 

Because the pizza ended up being the most popular item on the lunch buffet.

 

That’s not a complete sentence.

 

Because Lawrence worked all year to save money for the French Club’s trip to Paris that summer.

 

Again, that’s not a complete sentence.

 

However, it is considered grammatically acceptable to begin complete sentences with because.

 

Because the pizza ended up being the most popular item on the lunch buffet, we knew we needed to double the order before next week’s student orientation.

 

Because Lawrence worked all year to save money for the French Club’s trip to Paris that summer, he had a deeper appreciation for the 12 days he spent abroad.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Should We Use Contractions?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Number 3 

 

“For formal business writing, when should contractions be used, and when should they not be?”

 

This question was shared by a participant in the IAAP CAPstone Business Writing Specialty Certificate course.

 

The answer to this question is more stylistic in nature. Consult your organization’s writing style guide first. Different companies have different viewpoints on the acceptability of contractions in business communication. Follow your organization’s preferences. 

 

I’ll simply share my recommendation. Generally speaking, contractions are acceptable in professional emails and informal correspondence. In other words, we can write the way we speak.

 

We’ll make reservations for the restaurant around the corner from the convention center.

 

They don’t require two forms of identification for the application.

 

The professor isn’t going to grade the essays this weekend.

 

You don’t have to spell out:

 

  • We will
  • Do not
  • Is not

 

When many of us were in high school, our English teachers taught us never to use contractions in our papers. Fortunately, that rule has been relaxed for contemporary correspondence. However, if you are submitting a more formal report or proposal, I recommend avoiding contractions. Do not use them in legal documentation or contracts.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Grammar for Grownups Top 10: A Blooper in the Society Pages

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Number 4: A Blooper in the Society Pages

 

In recent weeks, several readers have brought up one of my most cringe-worthy grammar peeves: using the incorrect subject-verb agreement with couple.

 

Couple should be treated as a singular noun. It is a collective noun. I’m afraid you’ll read it incorrectly in the society pages:

 

Following a honeymoon in Montana, the couple plan to reside in Jackson, Mississippi. 

 

No.

 

The grammatically correct sentence is below:

 

Following a honeymoon in Montana, the couple plans to reside in Jackson, Mississippi.

 

These are correct agreements:

 

The couple plans

The couple has

The couple is

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Is it Backward or Backwards?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Number 5: Is She Moving Backward or Backwards?

 

Keep the wacky words coming! Thanks to all of you who have been commenting and adding to our wacky-word conversation these past few weeks. Please continue to post your questions and share your examples. This week’s winner is backward/backwards.

 

Is it backward or backwards? 

 

We’ve all heard it both ways. But only one way is correct: backward.

 

It’s backward. No “s.” Never say backwards. 

 

Allow me to share a helpful gimmick to cement this rule in your mind: If you can’t go forwards, then you can’t go backwards. That’s a fun yet memorable trick for remembering not to put an “s” on those words. We don’t say forwards, so we shouldn’t say backwards. It’s forward and backward. It’s toward, not towards.

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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Use or Utilize?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Number 6: Use vs. Utilize

 

A blog reader recently tagged me with this question, and it is one we cover during our Grammar-for-Grownups seminars:

 

From a Business Writing Specialty Certificate participant:

 

Question: “I have a coworker who insists utilize is a word worth using. I change it, but he changes it back. Do you have information you could share regarding your recommendation not to use that word?”

 

Answer:

 

To answer your question, the real issue is with people using use and utilize synonymously. Many business writers substitute utilize for use because they believe it sounds more professional. Many technical writers especially tend to overuse utilize, and they usually are not approaching it correctly. 

 

In reality, use and utilize do not have the same meaning. Practically speaking, we use use any time we are talking about engaging something in order to accomplish a task. 

 

Allen used email to update his team about all the meeting cancelations due to weather precautions. (Utilize would be incorrect in this sentence.)

 

Utilize has a different meaning. We use utilize when we are describing engaging something in order to accomplish a task for which it was not originally intended.

 

Lynnie utilized her dictionary as a doorstop for her office door.

 

International travelers have begun utilizing surgical slippers as face masks when trapped in airports for hours.

 

We should stop substituting utilize for use. It is a commonly misused word in the “rise of -ize” trend we are encountering as writers. This frowned-upon writing habit includes words such as:

  • Bulletize
  • Securitize
  • Dollarize
  • Statementize
  • Calendarize

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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affect or effect

Affect or Effect?

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2024 Grammar-for-Grownups Top 10

 

Number 8: Affect and Effect

 

This question pops up in almost every #IAAP CAPstone Business Writing Specialty Certificate course, and this semester’s cohort had the same question.

 

Question: “Mandi, is there a trick to remembering when to use affect or effect?”

 

Answer: Oh, how I wish there were a simple gimmick to help us remember when to use affect or effect. Alas, that’s why it’s so tricky; there’s no sure-fire memorable saying to help with this sometimes confusing word choice. And, it’s not as simple as saying affect is a verb and effect is a noun. So, how do we know when to use which word?

 

Below is what I shared with the cohort. It boils down to word substitution—but I’ve found it really works.

 

Effect is a noun. When effect is being used as a noun, it means “result.”

 

One effect of Tropical Storm Bob was closed beaches in Mobile Bay.

 

Translation: One result of Tropical Storm Bob was closed beaches in Mobile Bay.

 

Another way to look at it is if you can put an or the in front of it, use effect.

 

Affect is a verb. When affect is being used a verb, it means “to change or influence.”

 

Tropical Storm Bob affected our vacation plans.

 

Translation: Tropical Storm Bob changed our vacation plans.

 

Life would be sweet if it really were that simple, but here’s the catch. Effect also can be used as a verb. And when effect is a verb, it means “to cause.” [Think of cause and effect.]

 

This new HR policy will effect a change in our organizational chart.

 

Translation: This new HR policy will cause a change in our organizational chart.

 

This word substitution works for me. I’m curious if you have any other memorable tricks for effect and affect—and effect. Please share in the comments.

 

 

To customize a keynote or professional development session that will have your audience laughing and learning, contact Mandi Stanley.

Certified Speaking Professional Mandi Stanley works with business leaders who want to boost their professional image by becoming better speakers and writers through interactive high-content keynotes, breakout sessions, workshops, technical writing seminars, and fun proofreading classes. 

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