in a situation where you want to look your best, you’re also in a situation where your words matter. In business, homework, or any situation in which you’re being judged, use formal English.
A. no hw – ttyl
B. Hi, Ms. Smith. Just a note to let you know I didn’t do the homework. I’ll explain later! Ralph
C. Dear Ms. Smith,
I was not able to do my homework last night. I will speak with you about this matter later.
Sincerely,
Ralph
Answer: The correct answer depends upon a few factors. How willing are you to be stuck in the corner of the classroom for the rest of the year? If your answer is “very willing,” send A, a text written in friendspeak. (By the way, hw is short for “homework” and ttyl means “talk to you later.”) Does your teacher come to school in jeans and sneakers? If so, note B is probably acceptable. Note B is written in conversational English. Is Ms. Smith prim and proper, expecting you to follow every rule ever created, including a few she made up? If so, note C, which is written in formal English, is your best bet.
Thumbing Your Way to Better Grammar
I live in New York City, and I seldom see thumbs that aren't tapping on very small screens – texting (sending written notes over the phone), IMing (instant messaging), tweeting (sending 140-character notes), posting comments on social media, or simply jotting down ideas and reminders. I can't help wondering what sort of grammar will evolve from these forms of communication. Perhaps the 19th edition of English Grammar For Dummies will be only ten pages long, with “sentences” like u ok? lmk – bbl. (Translation for the techno-challenged: “Are you okay? Let me know. I'll be back later.”)
At present, however, match the level of formality in electronic communication to your situation, message, and audience. If you're dealing with a friend, feel free to abbreviate and shorten anything you like. If you're communicating with a co-worker or an acquaintance or a general audience on social media, conversational English is probably fine, and it may even be the best choice. Formal English, on some websites, comes across as stiff and artificial. In general, the more power the recipient has, the more careful you should be. When you're unsure of your audience or writing to someone you want to impress with your level of knowledge, play it safe and opt for formal English.
Probing the Limits of Grammar-Checking Software
Learning grammar in the 21st century is irrelevant because grammar-checking apps, autocorrect functions, and word-processing programs make human knowledge obsolete. Right? Wrong!
English has a half million words, and you can arrange those words trillions of ways. No app or device can catch all of your mistakes, and many programs identify errors that aren’t actually wrong. Worse, some apps automatically guess what you mean and make changes automatically. A friend of mine tried to sign up for an online writing course, which her phone changed to a worrying vise. (On second thought, writing does sometimes cause so much worry that you feel you’re trapped in a vise! Maybe the phone was accurate after all.) Other programs show you a few choices in a tiny space, where it’s all too easy to hit the wrong word. Imagine what happens when you type or tap “garage” and it shows up as “grave” in answer to the question “Where’s Pam?” (Speech-to-text programs that try to capture your words on a screen frequently make mistakes like this one.)
True, some apps find some problems and sometimes suggest good alternatives. But some is not the same as all. Often, computers can’t tell the difference between homonyms – words that sound alike but have different meanings and spelling. For example, if I type
Eye through the bawl at hymn, but it went threw the window pain instead.
my word-processing program is perfectly satisfied. However, I was actually trying to say
I threw the ball at him, but it went through the window pane instead.
What's Your Problem? Solutions to Your Grammar Gremlins
I love to stroll around my neighborhood pondering the meaning of life, my grocery list, and other important topics. With my head in the clouds, I sometimes stub my toe. Once I know where the sidewalk cracks are, though, I can avoid them. If you can figure out where the cracks are in your grammatical neighborhood – the gremlins likely to trip you up – your sentences will roll along without risk of falling flat. Table 1-1 shows common usage problems and the location of their solutions. Skim the first column until you recognize something that stumps you. Then turn to the chapter listed in the second column.
TABLE 1-1 Problems and Solutions
Chapter 2
Verbs: The Heart of the Sentence
IN THIS CHAPTER
❯❯ Finding the verb and understanding its function
❯❯ Distinguishing between linking verbs and action verbs
❯❯ Using helping verbs correctly
Think about a sentence this way: A sentence is a flatbed truck. You pile all your ideas on the truck, and the truck takes the meaning to your audience (your reader or your listener). The verb of the sentence is a set of tires. Without the verb, you may get your point across, but you’re going to have a bumpy ride.
Every sentence needs a verb, so you start with the verb when you want to do anything to your sentence – including correct it. Verbs come in all shapes and sizes, and grammarians have come up with a few dozen names for every single one. In school, you may have learned about predicates, modals, transitive, intransitive, and other sorts of verbs. Don’t worry about terminology. It’s not as important as understanding what verbs add to your sentence.
In this chapter, I explain how to distinguish between linking and action verbs and how to sort helping verbs from main verbs. Then I show you how to choose the correct verb for all your sentences, including questions and negative statements.
Expressing Meaning with Verbs
What time is it? You can find out by checking a clock, your watch, your phone, or a verb. Surprised by that last one? Verbs express states of being (what is, was, or will be) and action (what someone or something does, did, or will do). In other words, a verb
