Monthly Archive: September 2010

I don’t know how many of you are on Twitter (twitter.com/wirfy), but I see this mistake made with 140 characters on my timeline far too often.  Let’s begin by defining both terms.

Then:  Adverb.  Used to explain something at the time it is taking place.  Then can also be used to demonstrate the order in which things are to happen.  Also used is to infer, to say something appears a certain way or to show a necessary consequence.

HUGE TIP: The “If – Then” rule.  Starting a sentence with ‘if’ ‘then’ isn’t usually far behind.

• Incorrect: If you’re making lemonade than you’ll need lemons, silly!
• Correct:  If you’re making lemonade then you’ll need lemons, silly!

Than:  Conjunction.  Function word used to demonstrate the difference of type, manner, or identity.  Than is commonly used to show comparisons.

• Incorrect:  To ride in the larger car than you should ride with mom.
• Correct:  I’d rather ride in the larger car than the smaller one.

Here are a few common uses:

• Rather than…
• Other than…
• More than likely…

So, the thing to remember is, ‘then’ is used to describe or demonstrate in a matter of time or an order of actions to take place.  ‘Than’ is used to compare.

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

When you are writing, do your subjects live in harmony with the verbs?  They should; that’s what makes a happy sentence, paragraph, term paper, and everyday conversation.

To clarify: a subject is a noun (person, place, or thing) and a verb is an action.  Now, verbs and nouns can be singular or plural.  Most plural nouns end in s. Obvious you say?  Well, you’d be surprised at how often this escapes people.  Hey, it happens to the best of us.  Here’s a quick example of subject-verb agreement and disagreement:

• The boy runs to catch the bus.
• The boys run to catch the bus.

Rule of thumb: A singular verb is always paired with a singular subject.  Likewise, a plural verb is paired with a plural subject.

• Trick # 1: Determine if the subject of the sentence is singular or plural.
• Trick # 2: Determine if the verb of the sentence is singular or plural.

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!

Oh, the frequency of this error!  So I’ll keep this extremely brief.  When dealing with ‘I’ or “me” (rarely, myself) you must remember:

• Use ‘I’ (pronoun) when ‘I’ is the subject of the verb.  In the example sentences below the subject is plural.
• CORRECT: Felicia and I are going to the movies.
• INCORRECT: My brother and me went to the store.

An easy way to see if you’re using the correct personal pronoun in a sentence with a plural subject, remove one noun.  Here’s an example of a plural subject sentence with the noun removal test:

• ORIGINAL SENTENCE: The cat follows my mom and me around the house.
• NOUN REMOVAL TEST 1: The cat follows my mom around the house.
• NOUN REMOVAL TEST 2: The cat follows me around the house.

If you passed parts 1 & 2 of the Noun Removal Test, there’s a good chance your sentence-filled paper would get a passing grade from your teacher and me!

If you need writing or editing assistance with the very confusing English language rules, contact the professionals at Writing It Right For You. We’re here to help because “It Matters How You Say It”!