Many things annoy me. Below are a few. Please add or e-mail your own annoyances so I can announce them to my readers.
* People are always telling me I need to "change out" the battery in my smoke alarm. Why the "out"? Just change it, for goodness sake. Extra words are boring. They take up readers' and listeners' precious time.
* Many people use "whom" incorrectly. I think some people even use it to impress the reader. It rarely works. "Whom" is only used when you need an object. Use "who" when you need a subject, whether it's the subject of a clause, phrase or sentence. If you're unsure, perform the following test. Replace "whom" with "him" or "her." If it sounds right, use "whom." If not, use "who."
* Students often use "that" when "who" is called for. A person is a "who." A thing is a "that." Don't use the word "that" to refer to a person. Example A: The man who took the trophies was arrested. Example B: The trophy that he took was recovered in the hotel room. According to the AP Stylebook, even an animal should be referred to as "who," as long as the animal has a name. My cat, whom I love dearly, will certainly enjoy hearing that.
3 comments:
Spelling the word "the" as "teh."
That is all.
Former student from your first year at UNC.(or is it 'NC' these days?) Always challenged me and I thank you. I am subscribing to your blog via RSS--look forward to future reads.
Also, here is another good blog to reference:
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/
Placing punctuation marks inside of quotation marks. They should be used to indicate the end of the sentence, unless they are part of the quotation!
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