Informative and entertaining, makes you feel not as weird for having grammar questions. Mignon fogarty created the grammar girl podcast in july. Mignon fogarty is grammar girl and the founder of quick and dirty tips. Some people on earth know the differences between that and which. Mar 19, 2015 your subjectverb agreement is most likely fine when the subject is close to the verb, as it is here. Millions of people around the world communicate better thanks to mignon fogarty, aka grammar girl, whose toprated weekly grammar podcast has been downloaded more than 30 million times. Theyre quiz 2 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Another combo that can get confusing is was vs were. Always remember this rule about the usage of was and were.
The author michael strumpf started a national grammar hot line. Girl s one girl, but it is possessive it shows what is hers, what belongs to her. Mignon fogarty born 1967 is a former faculty member in journalism at the university of nevada, reno, and a former science writer who produces an educational podcast about english grammar and usage titled grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing, which was named one of the best podcasts of 2007 by itunes. As for the use of was in the sentence about the woman who left the party, that one reads to me more like a conditional expression in all likelihood, she really was ill not subjunctive. For example, if i showed you three pairs of pants and wanted to know your preference among them, i would ask you which pair do you like best. You cannot always trust popular songs to use correct grammar, but this one does. To book a lecture event with mignon fogarty for your company or. Before the fourteenth century, the subjunctive forms of verbs in english were well used, but most have faded out from modern english almost completely.
Were in this context if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. The term grammar can also describe the rules which govern the linguistic behavior of a group of speakers. Mar 21, 2016 english can be difficult, especially when it comes to words that can be easily confused. Students were required to memorize latins complicated system of inflectional endings by reciting paradigms. Grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing is an educational podcast produced by mignon fogarty that was launched in july 2006 and the title of a print book by fogarty that was released in july 2008. But most people younger than 40 arent even aware that these were once contested usages. Mignon believes that learning is fun, and the vast rules of grammar are wonderful fodder. Was is used in the first and third person singular past. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. Aug 28, 2019 the words were, we re, and where are easily confused because they have similar sounds and spellings.
There are several reasons why you might be struggling to decide whether you should be using was or were in a sentence. She was previously the chair of media entrepreneurship in the reynolds school of. Check out her new york times bestseller, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. This, of course, is a quote from a song in the musical fiddler on the roof. Think of them as your tickets into a rather exclusive circle, if not the writers club itself. Neal whitman, writing for grammar girl neal whitman phd is an independent writer and consultant specializing in language and grammar and a member of the reynoldsburg school board. None is a collective noun and is not short for not one.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing wikipedia. After realizing her fans were asking the same questions over and over, mignon decided to focus her attention on those words that continuously confound the masses. A verb is in the subjunctive mood if it expresses an action or state that is not reality. Flashbacks in books grammar girl quick and dirty tips. What, on the other hand, is used when there are many or infinite choices. For example, the term english grammar may refer to the whole of english grammar.
Grammar girl mignon fogarty on the biggest changes in language. Enough discerning readers out there do know the differences. I have read several books on word usage and have benefited from all. Jan 01, 2008 to the delight of word nerds everywhere, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing came out yesterday. Learn when to say if i was, when to say if i were, and what subjunctive means. As in other humanistic grammars, all the features of latin were explained by giving their english equivalents. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. Jul 08, 2008 written with the wit, warmth, and accessibility that the podcasts are known for, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing covers the grammar rules and wordchoice guidelines that can confound even the best writers. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. What is the difference between were and have been, and are these sentences gramatically correct. The rolling gurney is about to crash into the unwary sign writer. If you find yourself debating whether to use was or were in a sentence, its likely that youre dealing with an unreal conditional sentence.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. Her second book, the grammar devotional, was published by holt in. Im certain, though, that you sometimes commit a ghastly grammar goof when the subject is far from the verb. If i were the grammar czar, i would have imposed that decree long ago. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing is an educational podcast produced by mignon fogarty that was launched in july 2006 and the title of a print book by fogarty. She said shes started selling ads and is even getting some interest from book publishers. Her grammar girl website and podcast have made her a usage guru for the. I wish i were grammar newsletter english grammar newsletter. Were is used in the second person singular and plural and first and third person plural. The singular subject gurney pairs up with the singular verb is. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. How grammar girl turned a single hobby podcast into a growing.
Ive searched far and wide for an english grammar book that was useful and treated reader like an educated adult rather than a child. These words are used differently in sentences, so its important to know when to use were vs. Dec 30, 2014 the npr grammar hall of shame opens with i and me nprs audience submitted more than 270 nominees for most misused word or phrase. They are not homophoneswords that have the same sounds or spellingsand their meanings and uses are quite different. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. Anonymousi think, if you are good today, i would let you watch tv tonight definitely sounds incorrect in comparision to the above first conditional where we use will. To download high resolution poster click here embed this image to your site. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. Was were usually applies to something done in the past that no longer applies single event.
The thing is currently im reading one american book where, of course, a narration style dominates. A couple of examples would be who vs whom and further vs farther. In between signing a book deal and the actual publication of the book, a producer for oprah was putting together a segment of the show about. The simplest of these is the conjugation of the singular and. A subreddit for questions and discussions about grammar, language, style, conventions, and punctuation. New york times bestselling author mignon fogarty shares her weekly grammar girl podcast and video tips about english, grammar, and writing. She has appeared as a guest on the oprah winfrey show and the today show and has been featured in the new york times, business week, the washington post, usa today, and more. If she were the hostess, shed have to stay at the party. Apr 22, 2016 mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. For example, it might be hypothetical, wished for, or conditional. Which is used when there are a finite number of choices.
Mignon is the author of the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing and six other books on writing. Grammar girls 101 misused words youll never confuse again. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Grammar girl is here to help further versus farther, compliment versus complement, affect versus effect the evercomplex, oftenirregular english language is full of traps. So itll pay dividends for you to use these words correctly. The grammar instruction was a mix of things i already knew its vs. Subscribe to the daily brief, our morning email with news and. Was and were are both past tenses of the verb to be. Aug 22, 2011 i wish i were infographic is clickable. I would call this a promise even though its conditional on being good.
Find books like grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing from the worlds largest community of readers. The verb following a collective noun has nothing to do with whats assumed rto be unspoken or. The key to understanding when to use was or were in a sentence is determining whether you need to use the subjunctive mood or not. The verb be is a tricky one because it is an irregular verb and one that we find ourselves using with great frequency, so it is that much more important that we choose the correct verb for our sentences. Apr 01, 20 lilys grammar is a straightforward exposition of latin morphology and syntax based on the eight parts of speech. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Dec 12, 2008 when you are supposing the impossible, however, you use a plural verb, were, with the singular i, like this. Were rhymes with fur is a past form of the verb to be. Mar 04, 2014 grammar girl explains the difference between who vs.
704 993 1546 1444 1529 717 311 1259 461 1320 239 1524 12 909 1398 736 196 708 1350 437 1241 511 904 859 543 976 1414 1112