Grammar: 1001 Practice Questions For Dummies (+ Free Online Practice). Geraldine Woods

Introduction

      This is a book of questions, so I'll start with one: What can 1001 Grammar Questions For Dummies do for you?

       Answer (E)

      Explanation: Choice (A) is correct because this book is a collection of mini-quizzes on every aspect of grammar and writing. No one is grading you, so you can just enjoy yourself. Because standardized test-writers include the topics I cover in this book, choice (B) is also right. Choice (C) is true because authority figures evaluating your work may downgrade their assessment of your skills if you don't write and speak according to the conventions of Standard English. I'm not saying you'll be fired if you plug in the wrong verb tense or send an adjective to do an adverb's job, but our society often uses Standard English as a gatekeeper. If you show that you know how to follow its rules, doors open. Was Choice (D) a surprise? Teachers often give the impression that the rules of English grammar are etched in stone. Not so! Language arises from human beings, and as life changes, so does the way we talk about it.

The questions in this book reflect currently accepted usage in Standard English. If you already speak and write well, you can dip into this book to refine your knowledge. If English is a language you’re still learning, you can concentrate on questions that address basic concepts and gradually work your way to more advanced points. In addition to 1,001 questions, this book provides answers and explanations, so you know why a particular expression is correct (or incorrect) in Standard English. In the explanations, I stay away from technical terms as much as possible, including only the specialized vocabulary you absolutely need to grasp the underlying logic or traditions of the language. I stay with the simplest terms and define them as they appear, in case you’re not familiar with a term or you learned a different one in school. And you may have! Grammarians love jargon. For example, many bloody battles have been fought between those who favor the terms predicate nominative and predicate adjective and those who prefer the label subject complement. (Both apply to a word that follows a form of the verb to be.) Okay, I’m exaggerating a little. Maybe blood hasn’t been shed, but an ocean of ink has! My view is that as long as you know proper usage, you can call something a cantaloupe for all I care.

      A NOTE ABOUT PRONOUNS

      Much has changed in the world of pronouns since I wrote the first edition of 1001 Grammar Questions For Dummies. Change is not always comfortable, but it's here and, I believe, necessary and good.

      Let me explain. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a noun or another pronoun. Pronouns streamline language, allowing you to say “George said that he forgot his phone” instead of, “George said that George forgot George's phone.” A pronoun is supposed to match, or agree, with the word it refers to: singular pairs with singular, plural with plural. Gender also matters. Some pronouns are masculine (he, him, his), some are feminine (she, her, hers), and others are neuter (it, they when referring to objects, ideas, or places). The rules for these pronouns have stayed the same. Ditto for gender-neutral pronouns referring to a group (they, them, their, theirs).

      The rules have shifted, though, when you refer to one person whose gender is unspecified—a person or a senator or an insurance agent, perhaps — or to a person who does not identify gender as binary (male or female) or who identifies as gender fluid. For more and more grammarians and editors, they, them, their, and theirs have become the preferred pronouns for these situations. In other words, these pronouns may be either singular or plural, depending on the word they refer to. Take a look at some examples:

      It's worth noting that this “change” in the usage of they, them, and their in the first two examples is actually a return to tradition. From the 14th century onward, ordinary people, as well as great writers (Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Austen, to name three) treated they, them, and their as flexible, gender-neutral pronouns, a grammatically correct way to refer to one person or a group, just as the pronoun you does. In the 18th century, though, influential grammarians declared that the pronouns they, them, their, and theirs were correct only for references to a group. According to these grammarians, the forms he, him, and his and she, her, and hers were the only appropriate references to one person. If the gender was unknown, masculine pronouns were said to be the proper choice. In 1850, the British Parliament went so far as to enact that grammar rule into law! You can imagine how popular this decision was with supporters of women's equality. In the late 20th century, many writers reserved they, them, their, and theirs for plural references but, in an effort to be more inclusive, turned to pairs—he or she, him or her, and his or her — for singular references. That practice often results in sentences like “A student should ask his or her teacher about his or her pronoun policy during the first meeting with him or her.” As you see, providing two choices can result in a clunky sentence! Paired pronouns also ignore people who identify as nonbinary or gender fluid, a situation reflected in the third example.

      To solve these problems, the singular they/them/their/theirs entered — actually, re-entered — the picture. And that's why I've employed this usage in the second edition of 1001 Grammar Questions For Dummies, a decision that Wiley, the publisher of Dummies books, supports.

      It may take a while to get used to the singular they. If you're expecting one dinner guest and hear “they're on the way,” you may panic and cook an extra portion of pasta before you remember that they is your guest's preferred pronoun, and they would never bring a friend without asking first. You may also find yourself writing for an authority figure who insists on restricting they, them, their, and theirs to plural situations. In that situation, you have some options. You can shift from third person (talking about someone) to second person (talking to the person with the flexible pronoun you):

      If you forget to do the homework, you will receive a failing grade.

      You can also reword and avoid the pronoun entirely:

      For practice

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