This is intended as a quick reference for some of the most common mistakes the BayViews editors find. In general, for questions of grammar, refer to:
The Chicago Manual of Style
Strunk and White's The Elements of Style
or try Guide to Grammar and Writing website link no longer works - 11-2012.
As / Since
As she ate the donut, her stomach growled. (Her stomach growled while she was
eating.)
Since she ate the donut, her stomach growled. (Her stomach growled after she
ate.)
Too / Very
Her bath is not too hot. (It's just right.)
Her bath is not very hot. (It's lukewarm--blah.)
Fewer / Less
Fewer of something you can count (gallons).
Less of something you can't count (gasoline).
Between / Among
Between happens between two of something. Among happens among several of something.
It's / Its
It's in the bag. ("It is")
Lisa fixed the car. Its battery needed recharging. (possessive)
There's / Theirs
There's a noisy meeting going on in the West Auditorium. ("There is")
They don't know which one is theirs. (possessive)
Both must be singular or both must be plural.
Wrong: One of my books are moldy.
Right: One of my books is moldy. (One book is the subject.)
Watch for collective nouns (a word for a group of many things or people, that acts singular):
Congress is convening. The Congress members are taking their seats.
Make sure to stick to the same tense throughout the plot description. Present tense usually works best for all parts of the review.
As the subject in a clause. Try completing the full sentence:
Wrong: Joy is not as tired as me. ("Joy is not as tired as me am")
Right: Joy is not as tired as I. ("Joy is not as tired as I am")
As a compound subject. Try it by itself if you're not sure.
Wrong: Joy and me went to the library. ("Me went to the library")
Right: Joy and I went to the library. ("I went to the library")
Wrong: Her and I went there. ("Her went")
Right: She and I went there. ("She went")
As a compound indirect object. Try it by itself if you're not sure.
Wrong: Joy went to the library with Mary and I. ("Joy went to the library with I")
Right: Joy went to the library with Mary and me. ("Joy went to the library with me")Wrong: Joy went with she and me. ("Joy went with she")
Right: Joy went with her and me. ("Joy went with her")