The following are less-than-exemplary snippets from recent newspapers and magazines \u2026<\/p>\n
\u2022 \u201cThe suspect was linked to at least nine different bank robberies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why not just \u201cnine bank robberies\u201d? It would be interesting to know what compelled the writer to add \u201cdifferent.\u201d However, this sentence is not a total loss; it could be shown to youngsters to illustrate the meaning of superfluous<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cEach has spent their adult lives demeaning and scapegoating.\u201d<\/p>\n This abject sentence could not exist if the writer or his editor had been paying attention. Each<\/em> is a singular pronoun, and we know the writer knew that, because he wrote \u201chas\u201d rather than the plural \u201chave.\u201d But after the first two words, he got distracted and started writing plurals (\u201ctheir,\u201d \u201clives\u201d). The fix is simple: \u201cAll have<\/em> spent their adult lives demeaning and scapegoating.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cThe company has never been reticent to send promotional missives.\u201d<\/p>\n Reticent <\/em>is not a fancy synonym for reluctant<\/em>, as this sentence\u2019s author seems to believe. Reticent<\/em> traditionally means \u201csilent\u201d or \u201cuncommunicative.\u201d That doesn\u2019t fit here. Still, reticent to<\/em> is now inescapable, and some authorities consider it acceptable. We consider it an affectation.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cBrown grew up in a poor, predominately black neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Sometimes writers mistakenly use predominately<\/em> as an alternative to predominantly<\/em>, meaning \u201cchiefly, primarily.\u201d Although predominately<\/em> is technically a word, it\u2019s not easy to pinpoint what it means.<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cFake it \u2019til you make it.\u201d We see such sentences constantly, but here\u2019s some sound advice: always use till<\/em>. Many assume that \u2019til<\/em>, a contraction of until<\/em>, is correct. However, till<\/em> predates until<\/em> by several centuries, and you won\u2019t find a reference book anywhere that endorses \u2019til<\/em>. The writer John B. Bremner declares brusquely, \u201cEither till<\/em> or until<\/em>, but not \u2019til<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 \u201cAt the same time, as other Americans of faith, the majority also identify strongly with their religion.\u201d The proper use of as <\/em>and like <\/em>continues to elude many writers. In formal writing, both of the above sentences are incorrect. In the first example, make it \u201clike<\/em> other Americans of faith.\u201d As <\/em>would be correct only if a verb were involved, e.g., \u201cas other Americans of faith do<\/em>.\u201d Like<\/em> is a preposition meaning \u201csimilar to\u201d or \u201ctypical of,\u201d and that\u2019s what is needed here.<\/p>\n In the second example, the verb \u201cdid\u201d in \u201cjust like she did\u201d means like<\/em> is the wrong choice\u2014just similar to she did<\/em> is clearly nonsense. Use as<\/em> instead, and make it \u201cjust as<\/em> she did.\u201d<\/p>\n General rule: Use like<\/em> when it is followed by a noun but no verb: Do it like me<\/em>. But replace like <\/em>with as<\/em>, as if<\/em>, as though<\/em>, or the way<\/em> preceding subject-verb constructions: Do it the way<\/strong> <\/em>[not like<\/em>] I taught you<\/em>. Do it as if<\/strong> <\/em>[not like<\/em>] you meant it<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pop Quiz<\/strong><\/p>\n The following are sentences recently heard over the airwaves. See if you can make them better.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pop Quiz Answers<\/strong><\/p>\n The following are less-than-exemplary snippets from recent newspapers and magazines \u2026 \u2022 \u201cThe suspect was linked to at least nine different bank robberies.\u201d Why not just \u201cnine bank robberies\u201d? It would be interesting to know what compelled the writer to add \u201cdifferent.\u201d However, this sentence is not a total loss; it could be shown to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,8,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-effective-writing","category-pronouns","category-vocabulary"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2278\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grammarbook.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 \u201cAnd the party rocked on \u2019til sunrise.\u201d
\n\u2022 \u201cOn politically correct language: don\u2019t knock it \u2019til you try it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 \u201cThe enemy wore Army green, just like she did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\n