Do you use the word shall these days? Is the word shall dying out of the English language? I was taught to say I shall, you will, he/she will, but I seldom use shall these days. I occasionally use it in a question to make an offer or suggestion or ask for advice. Shall I bring a plate? What shall we […]
How do you punctuate however, therefore, moreover and furthermore? Reader’s question: I would like to know the appropriate punctuation when using the words however, therefore, moreover and furthermore. Answer: How you punctuate these words depends on their position and function within the sentence. My guidelines for words such as however, therefore, moreover and furthermore are as follows. At the […]
What’s the difference between proportional and proportionate? Proportional and proportionate are often used interchangeably and the difference between them is subtle. The best distinction I’ve found is from The Better Editor. The example referred to in this extract is the Sony hack of 2014 that North Korea was accused of. Proportional involves fairness or equity or proportionality. It’s proportional if it’s in a […]
Pronouns stand in for nouns Pronouns allow us to make reference to other words without having to repeat ourselves. The words the pronouns refer to are known as antecedents. John (antecedent) liked the book. He (pronoun) said it was riveting. There are several types of pronouns. Personal pronouns As the subject of a sentence these pronouns are I, you, […]
What’s the difference between practice and practise? Photo by Gavin Whitner At my piano practice, I was told to practise more. Practice Practice is a noun (naming word) or adjective (describing word). I must go to the singing practice this afternoon. (noun) My doctor’s practice is in Rose Bay. (noun) I hit a practice shot. (adjective) Practise […]
Do you need an apostrophe when you make an acronym plural? Reader’s question: How does one make an acronym or initialism plural? Is ABCs or ABC’s correct? Answer: Apostrophes have nothing to do with plurals, so you just add an ‘s’ (i.e. ABCs). Read more about apostrophes – when to use them and why. Online grammar and punctuation course Learn more about […]
Should you use while or whilst? While and whilst are both acceptable. I prefer while because it is simpler and less formal than whilst. Michael Quinion, World Wide Words, says: ‘In both cases [while/whilst and among/amongst], the form ending in -st actually contains the -s of the genitive ending (which we still have today, though usually written as ’s, of course). In Middle English, this was often added […]
What’s the difference between who and that? The simplest way of distinguishing between who and that is to think of who as referring to people that as referring to things. For example: She’s the woman who invented the new medicine. The house that needed repainting was destroyed in the fire. However, some grammar experts think it’s okay to use that for persons generally and who for particular persons. For […]
I’d better… Why do we say ‘had better’? Reader’s question: I don’t understand the grammar behind the expression ‘He’d better clean up his room’ or ‘She’d better ring me before tomorrow’. I am told it stands for: He had better clean up his room. She had better ring me before tomorrow. But how can we use […]
Some experts say ‘the reason is because’ is not correct An e-newsletter reader said I should have written the reason is that rather than the reason is because. The offending sentence was: The reason for a semicolon in the second example is because you’re introducing a new clause. The reader said that I should have written: The reason […]