Read The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Online

Authors: Jane Straus,Lester Kaufman,Tom Stern

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation (4 page)

Who vs. Whom

Rule
. Use this
he/him
method to decide whether
who
or
whom
is correct:

he = who

him = whom

Examples :	Who /Whom wrote the letter?
He wrote the letter. Therefore, who is correct.
Who/ Whom should I vote for?
Should I vote for him ? Therefore, whom is correct.
We all know who /whom pulled that prank .
This sentence contains two clauses: we all know and who/whom pulled that prank . We are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom. He pulled that prank. Therefore, who is correct.
We wondered who/ whom the book was about .
This sentence contains two clauses: we wondered and who/whom the book was about . Again, we are interested in the second clause because it contains the who/whom . The book was about him . Therefore, whom is correct.

Note
: This rule is compromised by an odd infatuation people have with
whom
âand not for good reasons. At its worst, the use of
whom
becomes a form of one-upmanship some employ to appear sophisticated. The following is an example of the pseudo-sophisticated
whom
.

Incorrect :	a woman whom I think is a genius
In this case whom is not the object of I think . Put I think at the end and witness the folly: a woman whom is a genius, I think .
Correct :	a woman who I think is a genius

Learn to spot and avoid this too-common pitfall.

Whoever vs. Whomever

To determine whether to use
whoever
or
whomever
, the
he/him
rule in the previous section applies:

he = whoever

him = whomever

Rule 1
. The presence of
whoever
or
whomever
indicates a dependent clause. Use
whoever
or
whomever
to agree with the verb in that dependent clause, regardless of the rest of the sentence.

Examples :	Give it to whoever /whomever asks for it first .
He asks for it first. Therefore, whoever is correct.
We will hire whoever/ whomever you recommend .
You recommend him . Therefore, whomever is correct.
We will hire whoever /whomever is most qualified .
He is most qualified. Therefore, whoever is correct.

Rule 2
. When the entire
whoever/whomever
clause is the subject of the verb that follows the clause, analyze the clause to determine whether to use
whoever
or
whomever
.

Examples :	Whoever is elected will serve a four-year term .
Whoever is the subject of is elected . The clause whoever is elected is the subject of will serve .
Whomever you elect will serve a four-year term .
Whomever is the object of elect. Whomever you elect is the subject of will serve .

A word to the wise
: Whomever
is even more of a vogue word than
whom
. Many use it indiscriminately to sound cultured, figuring that no one will know any better.

Who, That, Which

Rule 1
. Who
and sometimes
that
refer to people.
That
and
which
refer to groups or things.

Examples :	Anya is the one who rescued the bird .
“ The Man That Got Away ” is a great song with a grammatical title .
Lokua is on the team that won first place .
She belongs to a great organization, which specializes in saving endangered species .

Rule 2a
. That
introduces what is called an
essential clause
. Essential clauses add information that is vital to the point of the sentence.

Example :	I do not trust products that claim “ all natural ingredients ” because this phrase can mean almost anything .
We would not know the type of products being discussed without the that clause.

Rule 2b
. Which
introduces a
nonessential clause
, which adds supplementary information.

Example :	The product claiming “ all natural ingredients, ” which appeared in the Sunday newspaper, is on sale .
The product is already identified. Therefore, which begins a nonessential clause containing additional, but not essential, information.

Note

Essential clauses do not have commas introducing or surrounding them, whereas nonessential clauses are introduced or surrounded by commas.

Rule 3
. If
that
has already appeared in a sentence, writers sometimes use
which
to introduce the next clause, whether it is essential or nonessential. This is done to avoid awkward formations.

Example :	That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger .
This sentence is far preferable to the ungainly but technically correct That that doesn't kill you makes you stronger .

Note

The distinction between
that
and
which
, though a useful guideline, is widely disregarded:
Which
is routinely used in place of
that
, even by great writers and journalists, perhaps because it sounds more elegant.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Definitions

An
adjective
is a word or set of words that
modifies
(i.e., describes) a noun or pronoun. Adjectives may come before the word they modify.

Examples :	That is a cute puppy .
She likes a high school senior .

Adjectives may also follow the word they modify:

Examples :	That puppy looks cute .
The technology is state-of-the-art .

An
adverb
is a word or set of words that modifies verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs.

Examples :	He speaks slowly (modifies the verb speaks )
He is especially clever (modifies the adjective clever )
He speaks all too slowly (modifies the adverb slowly )

An adverb answers how, when, where, or to what extentâhow often or how much (e.g.,
daily, completely
).

Examples :	He speaks slowly (answers the question how )
He speaks very slowly (answers the question how slowly )

Rule 1
. Many adverbs end in -
ly
, but many do not. Generally, if a word can have -
ly
added to its adjective form, place it there to form an adverb.

Examples :	She thinks quick/ quickly .
How does she think? Quickly .
She is a quick /quickly thinker .
Quick is an adjective describing thinker , so no - ly is attached.
She thinks fast /fastly .
Fast answers the question how , so it is an adverb. But fast never has - ly attached to it.
We performed bad/ badly .
Badly describes how we performed, so - ly is added.

Rule 2
. Adverbs that answer the question
how
sometimes cause grammatical problems. It can be a challenge to determine if -
ly
should be attached. Avoid the trap of -
ly
with linking verbs, such as
taste, smell, look, feel
, etc., that pertain to the senses. Adverbs are often misplaced in such sentences, which require adjectives instead.

Examples :	Roses smell sweet /sweetly .
Do the roses actively smell with noses? No; in this case, smell is a linking verbâwhich requires an adjective to modify roses âso no - ly .
The woman looked angry /angrily to us .
Did the woman look with her eyes, or are we describing her appearance? We are describing her appearance (she appeared angry), so no - ly .
The woman looked angry/ angrily at the paint splotches .
Here the woman actively looked (used her eyes), so the - ly is added.
She feels bad /badly about the news .
She is not feeling with fingers, so no - ly .

Rule 3
. The word
good
is an adjective, whose adverb equivalent is
well
.

Examples :	You did a good job .
Good describes the job.
You did the job well .
Well answers how .
You smell good today .
Good describes your fragrance, not how you smell with your nose, so using the adjective is correct.
You smell well for someone with a cold .
You are actively smelling with your nose here, so use the adverb.

Rule 4
. The word
well
can be an adjective, too. When referring to health, we often use
well
rather than
good
.

Examples :	You do not look well today .
I don't feel well, either .

Rule 5
.
Adjectives come in three forms, also called
degrees
. An adjective in its normal or usual form is called a
positive degree adjective
. There are also the
comparative
and
superlative
degrees, which are used for comparison, as in the following examples:

Positive	Comparative	Superlative
sweet	sweeter	sweetest
bad	worse	worst
efficient	more efficient	mostÂ efficient

A common error in using adjectives and adverbs arises from using the wrong form of comparison. To compare two things, always use a
comparative
adjective:

Example
:

She is the
cleverer
of the two women
(never
cleverest
)

The word
cleverest
is what is called the
superlative
form of
clever
. Use it only when comparing three or more things:

Example
:

She is the
cleverest
of them all
.

Incorrect :	Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like best?
Correct :	Chocolate or vanilla: which do you like better ?

Rule 6
. There are also three degrees of adverbs
. In formal usage, do not drop the -
ly
from an adverb when using the comparative form.

Incorrect :	She spoke quicker than he did .
Correct :	She spoke more quickly than he did .
Incorrect :	Talk quieter .
Correct :	Talk more quietly .

Rule 7
. When
this, that, these
, and
those
are followed by a noun, they are adjectives. When they appear without a noun following them, they are pronouns.

Examples :	This house is for sale .
This is an adjective.
This is for sale .
This is a pronoun.

Other books

Dollface: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties by Renée Rosen

Armageddon Outta Here - The World of Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

Into The Fire (Gorgeous Entourage #1) by E. L. Todd

It's Alive by S.L. Carpenter

MEMORIAM by Rachel Broom

The Gentleman In the Parlour by W Somerset Maugham

Members of the Tribe by Zev Chafets

A Betrayal in Winter (lpq-2) by Abraham Daniel

The Case of the Deadly Desperados by Caroline Lawrence