Sweating the Small Stuff

Having trouble viewing this message? [Click here to view it online.]( To unsubscribe or change contact details, scroll to the bottom and follow the link. [GrammarBook.com]( Your #1 Source for Grammar and Punctuation Sweating the Small Stuff At a football game a few years ago, Notre Dame University sold soda in cups that said, "Figthing Irish." Did no one at this distinguished school have the time or pride to proofread a two-word slogan? Here are a few other items we've seen and now wish we hadn't … Back to Basics Many professional journalists can't find the subjects in their own sentences, like this one: "The final installment of those tapes—340 hours—were made public." Make it "was made public." The writer, distracted by "tapes" and "hours," forgot that the subject, "installment," was singular. Ho-Hum: More Who-Whom We've frequently discussed the difference between who (subject) and whom (object). Pronoun confusion has plagued our language for centuries. Some now claim that English would be fine without whom. But whom holds some mysterious attraction for people who shouldn't be using it, because they keep getting it wrong, as in "… a man whom he thought was ready" (make it "who he thought was ready"). Compare that with "Brown, who investigators had trouble reaching for interviews" and "Schulman, who he met on a blind date." Here the writers were handed whom on a silver platter, but instead chose "who." How the Cookie Deconstructs Flawed sentences like those result from either carelessness or grammatical cluelessness. Just as prevalent, and deadly, is poor word choice caused by fuzzy thinking. Here's a writer who sabotaged his own metaphor when he wrote, "… before the whole house of cards crumbles." Dead leaves and old walls crumble. A house of cards collapses. This was a classic article by our late writer-editor Tom Stern from October 2013. [View and comment on this article on our website.]( Pop Quiz Try to spot the errors or lapses in these sentences, written by professionals. 1. "The case is the latest in a series that have fueled public protests." 2. "He was convicted in absentia to 20 years in prison." 3. "… and Steenkamp, whom he believed was still in the bedroom." 4. "… a deadline to Syria to turnover its weapons." 5. "The first time either of them have heard the recording." Offer Extended! A Note to Teachers and Parents We at GrammarBook.com want to help make teaching English grammar and punctuation less stressful during this potentially difficult period when many students are sheltering in place and schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From March 25, 2020, through June 30, 2020, we are cutting the price in half for any new Quiz Subscriptions for Teachers, Parents, and Employers. Click on [Subscription Quizzes]( for the details. Free BONUS Quiz for You! {NAME}, because you are a subscriber to the newsletter, you get access to one of the Subscribers-Only Quizzes. Click here to take a [Who, Whom, Whoever, Whomever Quiz]( and get your scores and explanations instantly! We will be adding many more quizzes this year to our already substantial list of quizzes. If you have suggestions for topics we have not yet covered, please send us a message at help@grammarbook.com. Hundreds of Additional Quizzes at Your Fingertips Subscribe now to receive hundreds of additional English usage quizzes not found anywhere else! Teachers and Employers Save hours of valuable time! You may assign quizzes to your students and employees and have their scores tallied, organized, and reported to you! Let [GrammarBook.com]( take the hassle out of teaching English! "Fun to test my skills." "The explanations really help ... thanks!" "I can select the quizzes to assign to my students, and then the results are reported to me automatically!" [Find out more about our subscription packages]( Don't need all the quizzes? You can now purchase the same quizzes individually for ONLY 99¢ each. [Purchase yours here.]( If you think you have found an error in a quiz, please email us at help@grammarbook.com The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation by Jane Straus, Lester Kaufman, and Tom Stern The Authority on English Grammar! Eleventh Edition Now Available An indispensable tool for busy professionals, teachers, students, homeschool families, editors, writers, and proofreaders. Available in print AND as an e-Book! Over 2,000 copies are purchased every month! The publisher of The Blue Book, Jossey-Bass, A Wiley brand, is offering a 35 percent discount for those of you who order the book through Wiley.com. Shipping and tax are not included. Simply go to [bit.ly/1996hkA]( and use discount code E9X4A. Offer expires December 31, 2020. [Order Your Copy Today!]( Wordplay --------------------------------------------------------------- Pop Quiz Answers Not all of these sentences have one right answer. See if your remedies agree with ours. 1. The case is the latest in a series of events that have fueled public protests. 2. He was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison. 3. … and Steenkamp, who he believed was still in the bedroom. (i.e., who was still in the bedroom, he believed) 4. … a deadline to Syria to turn over its weapons. 5. The first time either of them has heard the recording. English In A Snap: 68 One-Minute English Usage Videos FREE Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. [Click here to watch](. Forward this e-newsletter to your friends and colleagues. 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