Manship Schools Grammar, Punctuation & Word Problem Study List

(*) An asterisk indicates the term is also defined in the AP Stylebook.

active and passive voice

*collective nouns
dangling, misplaced modifiers
parallel construction
*apostrophes
*colon, semicolon
*commas
*dashes
*accommodate
*accept, except
*adviser
*affect, effect
*afterward/forward/toward
*all right
*among, between
amount, number
anxious, eager
a part, apart
boarder, border
*compliment, complement
*compose, comprise
*criteria, criterion
*defendant
*ensure, insure
every day, everyday
*farther, further
*fewer, less
*flier vs. flyer

MC2010_Grammar _Fall 2016

Grammar
pronoun problems
run-ons and fragments
subject/verb agreement
Punctuation
*exclamation points
*hyphens
*parentheses
*quotation marks
Word Use Problems
*emigrate, immigrate
*its, its
*lay, lie
lead, led
*like, as
*login vs. log in
loose, lose
*media, medium
*occur, occurred, occurring, occurrence
past, passed
*pore, pour
*principal, principle
*stationary, stationery
than, then
*that, which (essential/nonessential phrases)
*their, theyre, there
who vs. that
*who, whom
*whos, whose
*underway
*youre, your

LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Grammar Study Sheet

This study sheet is a guideline. Use your instructors recommended grammar resources.
(*)The AP Stylebook also defines these items.
2016 Roxanne K. Dill, Louisiana State University

GRAMMAR
Active vs. Passive Voice
Sentences that express action have three basic elements: a subject, a verb and an object.
In active voice, the subject is the "doer" of the action, and the object is the recipient of the
action.
Louise bought a purse. (Louise = subject/doer; bought = verb; purse = object)
In passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action.
A purse was bought by Louise. (purse = recipient of the action; was bought = verb; Louise =
doer)
To decide whether a sentence is active or passive, look for the location of the doer.
In active voice, the doer comes before the verb. In passive voice, the doer comes
after the verb and in a by _______ construction.
Terry threw the ball. (Active voice. The doer, Terry, comes before the verb)
The ball was thrown by Terry. (Passive voice. The doer follows the verb and the word by.)
The teacher opened the window. (Active voice. The doer, the teacher, comes before the verb.)
The window was opened by the teacher. (Passive voice. The doer follows the verb)
Active voice sentences are preferred because they focus the reader's attention on the actor.
Active voice is more concise because it usually involves fewer words.
Passive voice works in some situations, particularly when the focus is on the recipient of the
action, such as in an accident or death:
A bus driver was killed by a speeding train when his bus stalled on the Essen Lane railroad
crossing early Monday. (Bus driver is the recipient of the action; speeding train is the doer.)
However, even in these cases active voice is effective:
A speeding train hit a bus stalled on the Essen Lane railroad crossing early Monday, killing
the driver who did not jump out in time.
*Collective nouns (See the AP Stylebook for more examples.)
Nouns that represent a unit (more than one) take singular verbs and pronouns:
class, committee, crowd, family, group, herd, jury, orchestra, team, etc.
The committee is meeting to set its agenda.
The jury reached its verdict.
A herd of cattle was trucked to the sale.
Some words that are plural in form become collective nouns and take singular verbs when the
group/quantity is regarded as a unit:
A thousand bushels is a good yield.
The data is sound.
However, when the noun represents individual items, use plural verbs:
A thousand bushels were collected. The data were carefully tabulated.
Team names and musical groups that are plural take plural verbs/pronouns:
The Yankees are in first place. The Jonas Brothers will perform Tuesday.
Team or group names with no plural forms also take plural verbs/pronouns:
The Miami Heat are battling for first place.
Other examples: Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Orlando Magic.
Many singular names take singular verbs: Coldplay is on tour. U2 is rehearsing in Dublin.
Check the AP Stylebook for further examples.

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Dangling/Misplaced Modifiers
Modifiers (word or phrase) add detail to a sentence.
Sitting on the edge of her seat, Jenn waited to hear her name on the roster.
Martie and I spent the afternoon in our garage looking for the key to the pool house.
Dangling modifiers usually occur at the beginning or end of a sentence. They dangle in the wrong
spot, and the reader is unclear what the phrase or word is describing:
Covered in wildflowers, Francesca sat on the grassy hill and enjoyed the afternoon breeze.
While its possible that Francesca is a leftover flowerchild from the 60s, the phrase probably
describes the hill. Some rewriting may be necessary:
Covered in wildflowers, the grassy hill provided the perfect spot for Francesca to enjoy the
afternoon breeze
Searching through the dusty garage, the key to the pool house remained hidden.
Keys dont search for themselves. Heres a way to rewrite the sentence:
Searching through the dusty garage, Martie and I realized the key to the pool house remained
hidden.
Misplaced modifiers occur when the modifiers subject is unclear because the modifier is in the
wrong spot. This can occur anywhere in a sentence.
Carl eats a hot bowl of mush every morning. The mush, not the bowl, is hot. Carl eats a bowl
of hot mush every morning.
The Wicked Witch threw down on the yellow brick road her magic wand. It sounds like the
witch threw herself down. Instead, say this: The Wicked Witch threw her magic wand down on
the yellow brick road.
Pay attention to the order of your words.
Noun/Pronoun Agreement
Personal pronouns like he, she or they need an antecedent (the noun to which the pronoun later
refers). Montegue believes he is a knight in shining armor. Montegue is the antecedent for he.
This keeps you from repeating "Montegue, Montegue, Montegue." Instead, you can substitute
"he."
Singular nouns take singular pronouns: Clement insists he can yodel.
Plural nouns take plural pronouns: LSU students wear their purple T-shirts on game day.
Heres how to solve a common noun/pronoun agreement problem:
When using non-specific nouns, its easier to make the noun/pronoun plural:
Dont say this: If a student loses their books, they should check the office.
(Student is singular, but the pronouns are plural.)
Instead, say this: If students lose their books, they should check the office.
Other special pronoun problems
Two singular nouns joined by and will need a plural pronoun:
Freddie and Jared believe their hovercraft will fly.
Each and every need special attention. These are singular and require a singular pronoun even
if they are followed by a plural antecedent:
The baseball player and batboy ate their weight in popcorn.
BUT: Each baseball player and batboy ate his weight in popcorn.
Every baseball player, coach and batboy ate his weight in popcorn.
Parallel Construction (See Manship Writing Essentials for further explanation.)
Parallel construction is important when writing has multiple elements: a list or series, a
comparison (with like/as), or a correlative expression (either/or, neither/nor, or
first/second/third).
Like music, words have rhythm. When a writing passage sounds wrong but you cant figure out

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why, its often because the parallel structure is off the rhythm is not quite right:
Cherise will tell a joke, a story and sing a song. The sentence lists three things Cherise will do,
but something is wrong. The rhythm is off.
To fix the problem, separate the elements in the series and make sure each one works:
Cherise will tell a joke
Cherise will a story (heres your problem)
Cherise will sing a song
Most parallel structure problems require you to rewrite the sentence.
Cherise will tell a joke, create a story and sing a song.
Pronoun Problems: Whats the difference between me/I, her/she, they/them, we/us and
him/he? (Besides country music songs getting them wrong most of the time?)
Me, her, they, us and him are objective pronouns, and they are used as direct objects, indirect
objects and objects of prepositions. Kristin told me to leave her alone. (me = direct object)
I, she, they, we and he are subjective pronouns, and they are used as the subject of a sentence.
She was grouchy because the cat meowed all night. (she = subject)
The problem occurs when the sentence has compound subjects or objects:
Margo and I text every day. Barney gave his purple backpack to Danny and me.
To select the correct pronoun, ignore its partner:
Margo and I text every day. Barney gave his purple backpack to Danny and me.
Note: The pronoun you is both subjective and objective and works in all sentences
Run-ons & Fragments
A sentence will have at least one subject and one verb, and it will express a complete thought:
Norvil decided to go to summer camp.
Fragments are missing the subject or the verb, or do not express a complete thought.
Norvil to go to summer camp. (missing the verb)
Decided to go to summer camp. (missing the subject)
When Norvil arrived at summer camp. (doesnt express a complete thought)
A run-on sentence combines two independent clauses (complete sentences) without proper
punctuation: Norvil was the first to jump off the bus he was excited to meet new friends.
Run-ons can be fixed several ways:
Norvil was the first to jump off the bus. He was excited to make new friends. (two sentences)
Norvil was the first to jump off the bus; he was excited to make new friends. (semicolon)
Norvil was the first to jump off the bus, and he was excited to make new friends. (conjunction)
Norvil was the first to jump off the bus because he was excited to make new friends.
(subordinating conjunction).
Subject/Verb Agreement
The subject and verb must agree in number, which means they need to be either singular or plural.
Carltons shoes are too big for him. (plural). Not: Carltons shoes is too big for him.
Compound subjects are two subjects in the same sentence. They usually take a plural verb.
Purple and gold are Sharlotte's favorite colors.
However, when using "or" or "nor," the verb agrees with the subject closest to it.
Neither the team members nor Fletcher wants to practice for the championship game.
Either mom or her sisters are going to volunteer for the holiday bazaar.
Some pronouns are singular:
Nothing works in this house.
Something is wrong with Anton's car.
Anybody is better at badminton than Farley.

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 Somebody keeps calling my phone at midnight.

Each of the girls thinks she is going to get a prize.
Everybody is afraid of Big Foot.
Some pronouns are plural:
Most are going to the campout.
Few in south Louisiana are qualified to write this report in Swahili.
Both want to be president of the Lemonade Stand Club.
Several are committing to the race.
Many believe chocolate is addictive.
Some are ready to argue about chocolate's addictive qualities.
Watch out for "decoys": descriptive phrases/clauses that separate the subject from its verb.
The group of girls wants to go shopping. Group is the subject; wants is the verb. The phrase "of
girls" is a decoy. It describes the group. Ignore decoys when you pick the verb.
The committee of former totem pole carvers votes Friday. Committee (subject) votes (verb) -"of former totem pole carvers" is a decoy and describes the committee.
PUNCTUATION
*Apostrophes
Plural words do not need an apostrophe: lions, tigers, bears, aardvarks.
Plural letters do need an apostrophe for clarification: Sam had three Cs on his grade sheet.
Plural numbers dont need an apostrophe: Diane is in her 20s. Hank was born in the 1950s.
Apostrophes are place holders for missing numbers or letters:
Big hair was popular in the 80s. (The apostrophe takes the place of 19.)
Marva wont let her dog into the house. (The apostrophe forms a contraction for will not.)
Apostrophes show possession:
Solomons skateboard also plays music. (Singular word = add an apostrophe + s)
The musicians first song was a dud. (Plural = add an apostrophe after the s)
Note: For proper nouns, follow the previous rule unless the name ends in s. In that case, add
just an apostrophe: James flashlight, Julius orange
Use a possessive form after only the last word is the ownership is joint: Fred and Sylvias
Chihuahua Martin and Snerdleys foosball trophy
*Colon / Semicolon (See examples in the Punctuation section of the Stylebook.)
Precede a colon with a complete sentence. Ex: She considered three variables: time, money and
effort.
Wrong: Bernards family was: large, loud and lovable.
Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete
sentence: Franklin uttered only one sentence: Make my day.
Semicolons have two basic uses: (1.) to separate two complete sentences and (2.) to clarify
elements in a series that are long or contain commas.
(1) Ex: Some people visit the beach for vacation; others like amusement parks. (Note: The
semicolon takes the place of the comma/conjunction between two complete sentences.)
(2) Ex: He is survived by a son, John Smith; three daughters, Jane Smith, Mary Smith Jones
and Fran Smith Martin; and a sister, Martha Smith, of Omaha, Nebraska.
(Note: The semicolon is used before the final and in the series.)
*Commas (See more examples in the Punctuation section of the Stylebook.)
Dont use your feelings to decide where to place commas. Just because you feel a pause doesnt
mean you should insert a comma. Know these few rules about comma placement.
Commas in a series

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 Dont put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue.
To avoid confusion, put a comma before the final conjunction if one of the elements in the series
contains a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast.
Use a comma before the final conjunction to help the reader with a complex series of phrases:
The main points to consider are whether the athletes are skillful enough to compete, they have
the stamina to endure the training, and they have the proper mental attitude.
Commas in compound sentences
Use a comma before a FANBOYS conjunction in a sentence with two independent clauses
(complete sentences).
FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Foley jumped on the curb, and Franklin ran across the street.
Blake put his money in the bank, but Carolyn spent her savings at the mall.
Students who hate the morning should schedule later classes, or they should get to bed earlier.
But: Carolyn spent all of her money because she wanted new boots. (Because is not a FANBOY,
so dont put a comma before it.)
Commas with adjectives
Coordinate adjectives are listed in a row and separately modify the noun. You can rearrange
them, and the phrase still makes sense. Separate these with commas:
the big, hairy beast an tiny, prickly caterpillar
Cumulative adjectives are listed before the noun, but they dont separately modify the noun. If
you rearrange them, the phrase wont work: the white picket fence the red fire engine.
The noun and the adjective before it (fire engine, picket fence) are a unit.
How do you know whether to put commas between adjectives? If you can switch the adjectives
around and the phrase makes sense, then they are coordinate adjectives and need commas:
the big, hairy beast the hairy, big beast (You can switch the adjectives, so use commas.)
BUT: the white picket fence the picket white fence (These switches dont make sense, so
dont use commas.)
Commas after intro phrases/clauses
Use a comma after an introductory clause. A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a
verb. Some are dependent: If you shout at me Some are independent: I will cry (a complete
sentence).
Introductory clauses begin with words like when, which, while, as, since, if, although, because,
before, after. Introductory clauses prepare the way for the complete thought that follows:
When Mabeline finishes her speech, we will all be six years older.
Use a comma after a long introductory phrase. A phrase is a group of words that is missing a
subject or a verb, or both).
To begin preparing for the marathon, runners should exercises two hours each day.
*Dashes
Use sparingly (once a month). Dont use dashes when commas can serve the same purpose.
Too many dashes call attention to themselves and break up the flow of your writing.
Use dashes for an abrupt change in thought or an emphatic pause.
A dash = 2 hyphens. The easiest way to create a dash is to type a word, two hyphens, and then
the following word (all without spaces). The keyboard will create the dash for you.
A dash can serve like a beefed-up comma to separate a parenthetical (Oh by the way)
statement from the rest of the sentence, especially if the statement contains its own

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punctuation: Maisies favorite pet hamstersSamson, Snowball, Fuzzhead, Spearmint and

Corningwaresleep in her bedroom.
*Exclamation Points
You get one exclamation point in your lifetime. You should save it for an important event and
not use it in MC2010.
A direct quote is different, but the person should be shouting.
Help me! Smith shouted. My iPad is on fire!
*Hyphens
See examples in Punctuation section of the Stylebook.
When a compound modifier two or more words that express a single concept precedes a
noun, use hyphens to link the words (except very and ly words).
Hyphenated adjectives before a noun represent a single idea.
Examples: a first-quarter touchdown, a well-known man, a part-time job, a better-qualified
teacher. BUT: a very good time, an easily remembered rule.
Note: Many combinations that are hyphenated before a noun are not hyphenated after the noun.
Examples: The dress was bluish green. She bought a bluish-green dress.
She worked part time. I got a part-time job.
Consider the meaning of adjectives before a noun when you are deciding whether to hyphenate:
It looks like a flying, purple people eater (a flying purple creature that eats people) vs. It looks
like a flying purple-people eater (a flying creature that eats purple people)
When in doubt, look it up.
*Parentheses
AP recommends avoiding parentheses because they are jarring to the reader. Often, its a lazy
habit to avoid rewriting a sentence.
The temptation to use parentheses is a sign that your sentence has taken a bad turn. Write the
sentence another way, using commas or dashes to insert information.
Parenthesis in a direct quote can clarify a subject: It was wrong for him (Thibodeaux) to call
me crazy, Boudreaux said.
Be careful not to overdo it. Instead, use an indirect quote.
*Quotation Marks
This entry is lengthy. See examples in the Punctuation section of the Stylebook.
Periods and commas always go inside the quotation marks. Always.
The dash, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point go inside the quotation marks when
they apply to the quoted matter only. They go outside when they apply to the whole sentence.
Each holiday season our family sings Silent Night: our favorite Christmas carol.
She asked, How can you say I am not a good cook? (The entire direct quote is a question.)
Have you read Tom Sawyer? (The question is not a direct quote.)
Avoid partial quotes. If you didnt get the entire quote, paraphrase the sentence.
Only use partial quotes when the word/phrase is unique. Do not use quotation marks to report a
few ordinary words a speaker used.
Wrong: The senator said he would go home to Michigan if he lost the election.
Better: The senator said he would go home to Michigan if he lost the election.
Best: Murray said the opera singer sounded like a wounded red howler monkey.
If a partial quote is used, do not put quotation marks around words the speaker could not have
used.
Suppose the speaker said, I am horrified at your slovenly manners.
Wrong: She said she was horrified at their slovenly manners.

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Right: She said she was horrified at their slovenly manners.

For quotes within quotes, alternate between double quotation marks (or) and single marks
(or): Read To Kill a Mockingbird before tomorrow afternoon, the teacher ordered.
WORD USE PROBLEMS
*accommodate
The problem is a spelling issue. Accommodate has two cs and two ms.
*accept / except
Accept (verb) means to receive: Addie accepted the golden trophy for best pencil twirler.
Except means but, to exclude or to leave out: Micah likes all candy except gummy bears.
*adviser
A spelling problem. Use er instead of or in AP Style.
*affect / effect
Affect is usually a verb and means influence or change: The weather affected Roccos skydiving
team tryouts.
Effect is usually a noun and means a result or influence: The movie Jaws had a lasting effect
on Taj, who refused to go swimming for seven years.
*afterward / forward / toward
No s
*all right
Two words
*among / between
Use among for three or more people or groups: Johnston passed the news among his 14
classmates.
Use among for a group: The news of the 75 percent sale spread quickly among the shoppers.
Use between for two people or distinct groups: She sat between Sally and Suzy. The debate will
occur between the top candidates and their challengers.
amount / number
Amount refers to things you cant count: love, faithfulness, rain, milk or enthusiasm
Number refers to things you can count: the number of raindrops or gallons of milk, people in
Tiger Stadium, pencils, and AP Style rules.
anxious / eager
Anxious has is to be worried, disturbed or distressed. Eager is a hopeful anticipation.
I was anxious about my first AP Style exam. I was eager to be finished with it.
a part / apart
A part (two words) means a piece of something. Tr wants to be a part of the Tiger Nation.
Apart (one word) means separated by distance. Romeo and Juliet were apart for three weeks.
Apart (one word) can also mean besides: Apart from peanut butter and jelly, C.J. eats only
broccoli and Zapps potato chips.
boarder / border
A boarder is someone who rents your extra bedroom: Grandma charges each boarder $500.
A border is a boundary: We planted maple trees at the border of Uncle Bucks sugarcane field.
*compliment / complement
Compliment: To praise someone. Serena complimented Jennifer for being a talented violinist.
Complement: To enhance or complete. Shawnas feather boa complemented her hot pink skirt.
*compose / comprise

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 Compose means to create, put something in order, to combine: Herbert can compose a song in
five minutes.
Comprise is an active voice verb meaning to contain: The U.S. comprises 50 states.
Composed of is an option in wording the previous example: The U.S. is composed of 50 states.
Comprised of is incorrect. Dont say it.
*criterion / criteria
Criterion = one: The only criterion for entry is a $10 fee.
Criteria = more than one: Julie met all seven criteria for the presidents position.
*defendant
Spelling problem. Always ant.
*ensure / insure
Use ensure to mean guarantee: Uncle Murphy took steps to ensure his toupee fit correctly.
Use insure for references to insurance: The policy insures his car against zombie attacks.
every day / everyday
Every day (two words) describes how often something occurs. The word every modifies the
noun day: Minerva eats a wedding cake donut from Mr. Ronnies Donut Shop every day.
Everyday (one word) is an adjective that describes something common or occurring every day:
Minervas donut obsession is an everyday event.
Hint: If you are having trouble, substitute each day for every day (two words). If you can
substitute each day, then youll know every day (two words) will work.
*farther / further
Farther refers to physical distance: Marcel trembled as he walked farther into the 13th Gate.
Further refers to an extension of time or degree: Nan will look further into the mystery of the
disappearing donut.
*fewer / less
Use fewer for individual items/people you can count: She had fewer than 10 items in her cart.
Fewer than 20 applicants qualified for the job.
Use less for bulk or quantity: Sandra had less than a gallon of milk in her refrigerator.
Wrong: She was fewer than 60 years old. (Years refers to a period of time and not individual
years.) Instead, say this: She was less than 60 years old.
Right: I had less than $50 in my pocket. (An amount)
BUT: I had fewer than 50 $1 bills in my pocket. (Individual dollar bills)
*flier vs. flyer
Always use the word flier for people who fly and for papers you find in Free Speech Alley.
Flyer is the name for some trains and buses. Hint: You will probably never use this word.
*emigrate / immigrate
Emigrate: leave a country. (Emigrate = exit.) My grandfather emigrated from Russia in 1945.
Immigrate: come into a country. (Immigrate = into) George immigrated to the U.S. when he
was in his 20s.
The same principle holds for emigrant and immigrant
*its / its
Its is a possessive pronoun and does not have an apostrophe: The dog chased its tail.
Its = It is (a contraction) Its hot outside.
Its is not a word.
*lay / lie

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 Lay: an action word that takes a direct object. Example: Please lay the paper on my desk.
Laid: past tense of lay. Example: Martha laid her paper on the desk, and someone took it.
Lie: To recline (does not take a direct object). Example: I will lie down.
Lay: past tense of lie. Example: Greta lay on the sofa all weekend after she finished her exams.
Note: This describes past and present tenses. Refer to the Stylebook for other forms of lay/lie.
lead / led
Lead (rhymes with seed) means to show the way or take charge: We followed Maxs lead as he
taught us how to dance the rhumba.
Led is the past tense of lead. Henry led the parade of misfits through the Quad.
Lead (rhymes with shed) is a metal. Lead blocks the effects of kryptonite.
*like / as
Use like to compare nouns and pronouns. Example: Jim blocks like a pro.
Use as to introduce clauses. (A clause is a group of words that has a subject and a verb.)
Example: Jim blocks the linebacker as he should.(subject/verb = he should)
To decide whether to use like or as, check to see what is following the word. If you see a
subject and a verb, then use the word as.
*log in vs. login
Log in is a verb: Dont forget to log in to your computer when class starts.
Login is an adjective: I cant remember my login ID.
Be aware of other words are similar in that they can be verbs in one form and adjectives or
nouns in another:
The inmates attempted to break out of prison. We reviewed emails in our breakout session.
Juney Louise will break up with her boyfriend. Her last breakup was full of drama.
loose / lose
Loose is an adjective. It describes a noun: Marvin has a loose tooth. Freds belt is loose.
Lose is a verb. It describes an action: Sally didnt want to lose her money, so she it under her
mattress.
*media / medium
Medium is singular. Radio is her favorite medium for news.
Media takes a plural verb, especially when referring to individual outlets, and is often
preceded by the word the. Uncle Joe believes the media are biased.
Use with singular verb when referring to media as a group: The media asks questions political
candidates often avoid answering.
Social media follows the same guidelines: Social media (plural) dominate Carolyns social life.
*occur, occurred, occurring, occurrence
Know how to spell these words.
Occurred, occurring and occurrence (note the e) all take two cs and two rs.
past / passed
Past refers to time that has gone by or to a distance: The photos reminded Charlie of his past.
Police drove past Charmaines lemonade stand.
Passed describes the action of passing. It is always a verb. Fred passed the gravy to Aunt Ruth.
Sydney passed his math test for the first time since junior high school.
*pour / pore
Pour means to flow, to tip from a container. Lets pour eggnog into the punch.
Pore means to gaze attentively. Alexi will pore over her AP Style notes before the exam.

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10

*principal / principle
Principal is the chief administrator of a school: Mr. Snoot is my favorite high school principal.
Principal can also be an adjective, meaning primary or most important. Carly was the
principal ballerina in our version of The Nutcracker.
Principle is a basic truth or theory, a law or fact of nature that describes how something works:
Marcy, a mass communication major, could never understand the principles of geometry.
*stationary / stationery
Stationary means standing still: The Tiger Band was stationary as Mike danced through the
crowd.
Stationery means writing paper: Jolene writes letters on green stationery.
than / then
Than introduces a comparison: Malcolm is funnier than his brother.
Then introduces a time element: We studied for the test and then went to Louies for breakfast.
*that / which
Use that for essential clauses (important to the meaning of the sentence) and without commas:
Do you remember the movie that defined our parents generation?
The statue in the hall is the one that commemorates D-Day.
Use which for nonessential clauses, and use commas. (Nonessential clauses/phrases contain
information not important to the meaning of the sentence.)
The team, which won in 2011, is in third place.
The statue in the hall, which commemorates D-Day, was a gift from France.
See the essential clauses, nonessential clauses AP Stylebook entry for additional guidelines.
*their / theyre / there
Do we really need to review this one?
who vs. that
Use that when referring to inanimate objects and to animals. His house is the first one that
caught fire Tuesday. BUT: The dog next door is the one that bit my sister.
Use who for people and animals like Pepe Le Pew. Smith is the one who ran from the burning
house. Pepe Le Pew is the character who said, I am ze locksmith of love, no?
*who / whom
Who is grammatically the subject of a sentence, clause or phrase: The woman who rented the
room left the window open. Who is there?
Who does the same job as the word he/she in a sentence.
Whom is used when someone is the object of a verb or preposition: The woman to whom the
room was rented left the window open. Whom do you wish to see?
Whom does the same job in a sentence as the words him/her.
Use this trick to determine whether you need to use who or whom:
Substitute he and him in the spot where youre trying to determine whether you should use
who or whom. (This works if you have a question and rearrange the words to make a
sentence. The words do the same job in a sentence or a question.)
If he works, then you should use who.
If him works in the sentence, then use whom.
Example: _______ should answer the phone? (He works here, so use who.)
Example: To _______ will he ask the question? (Him works here, so use whom.)

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 Example: Jon knew _______ pulled the fire alarm. (He works, so use who.)
*whos / whose
Whos = who is or who has. Whos is a contraction. Whos responsible for this mess?
Whose is a possessive pronoun. The singer, whose record label refused to renew his contract,
won three Grammys.
*underway
Always one word.
*Youre / your
Youre = you are. Youre my best friend today.
Your = a possessive pronoun. Did Norwood find your iPhone?

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