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Sarah Addresses Readers’ Grammar Gripes
By bbr
by Sarah Warlick, copy editor or grammar geek, whichever you prefer
It seems that a lot of people have specific grammar gripes, as well as areas where they’re unsure how to navigate. Perhaps we were each looking out the window in English class on different days. In response to some great comments and questions from readers, here are a few more tips to avoid common writing errors from the BBR Marketing Grammar Geek.
Less or fewer? This one hardly seems fair, since it’s always correct to have or desire more. (Grammatically speaking, that is. Ethics, health and fire safety rules demand a different standard.) Still, when the supply diminishes one must make a choice. It’s either less or fewer that remain, so how to determine which? The answer is simple: a smaller number of discrete, countable objects must always be referred to as fewer, whereas a smaller pile of nebulous goo demands less. Fewer attendees can be accommodated in less space. Fewer complaints might imply less dissatisfaction. “Less attendees” or “less complaints” would be wrong, but you could correctly say “less complaining.” Items can also use “less” if they’re assessed as a totality: fewer pieces of baklava but less baklava. Fewer kittens produce fewer individual purrs but less purring overall. Even if the words are identical, the plural form calls for fewer. Fewer worries, less worry. Fewer beers, less beer. Fewer neuroses, less neurosis. Got it?
Commas, commas and more commas! When listing things in a series, should there be a comma after the next to last one? This is the best kind of grammatical quandary, because you’re right either way as long as you put the comma before the “and.” Placing it afterwards is an egregious error. That final comma in a series is known as the Oxford comma, and while it’s fine to use, it is no longer a requirement. My strategy is to use it as the mood and the sentence strike me, but be careful with this. It’s important to be consistent throughout a document. If you want to use it, use it every time. If you prefer your series to be less cluttered with commas, feel free to drop it. Writing about the good, the bad, and the ugly is no more or less correct than listing lions, tigers and bears. You can’t lose! (NOTE: Bonnie feels more strongly about this and discourages the use of Oxford commas. She feels they junk up the place, and she likes things tidy.)
Your spellchecker is your friend, but you’re destined for trouble if you rely on it to know the difference in these two words. Most people are aware that one is for “you are” while the other indicates possession. Even so, they’re such common words that we don’t always pay attention when using them. Spellchecking algorithms have very little concept of context and predictive text is even worse, so if you’re not careful you may find yourself in the unenviable position of having fired off a cheerful message to a beloved friend reading, “Your not the sharpest mouse in the sack, are ya?” This is the kind of common but disastrous mishap that can cost you business as well as particularly nerdy friends. Spellcheck should be used like a teenage babysitter – trust, but keep an eye on the liquor and homophones just to be sure.
What are your pet peeves and secret insecurities within the world of grammar? We’re curious, and we’ll be happy to answer your questions or just commiserate about the total demise of civilization as expressed through proper punctuation.
Commas seem to be a recurring issue lately. I’m with Bonnie in not using commas before ‘and.’ However, there are a few cases in which you would need it, mostly if the last list item contains an additional conjunction, like in the following sentence:
“In my life, I’ve met Iacocca, Jobs, and Hewlett and Packard.”
The sentence means I met Iacocca individually, Jobs individually, and Hewlett and Packard together.
That use is correct, right?
Exactly right. I agree with Bonnie that omitting them often leads to cleaner copy and a better flow, but when the Oxford comma avoids ambiguity in a sentence I’ll always opt to include it.
People abuse these bits and bobs of grammar so often, it makes me want to scream. It’s nice too see that someone is finally working on correcting these mistakes. Great job, Sarah! Can you do one on parenthesis and brackets next?
In my work, we use GPO (Government Printing Office) and APA (American Psychological Association) style guides, both of which call for the Oxford comma. So, when preparing or editing text, one must be consistent with the style guide(s) being used. Personally, I prefer it, and respectfully submit that in my opinion it doesn’t clutter up text. But I realize that’s a personal preference.
Thank you for sharing that, Leza. It’s certainly a fine preference and I know people who come down very strongly on the side of using them. What I didn’t know is that some major style guides still consider them mandatory. Consider me educated!
Amen to Isaac Marshall’s comment. Parentheses and brackets confuse me, also. and I’d appreciate some clarification. I am SOOOO thankful that someone is finally addressing these problems in business writing! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve by-passed possible businesses because of poor writing skills. I even left a church over the spelling of altar, refusing to worship at an alter. Keep up the good work. Lee Gardner Evans
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