Pronoun Problems

Some of the most common mistakes people make when writing or speaking have to do with pronouns. A pronoun, of course, is a word that takes the place of a noun. If we didn’t use pronouns, a sentence might look like this:

As Mr. Perkins entered the conference room, Mr.Perkins thought to Mr. Perkins, “These meetings are such a waste of Mr. Perkins’ time.”

It is almost exhausting to read even a short sentence worded this way! But substitute some of the nouns with pronouns and it looks like this:

As Mr. Perkins entered the conference room, he thought to himself, “These meetings are such a waste of my time.”

The second sentence is much easier to read and comprehend, right? Here is a brief refresher course on the different types of pronouns, how they are often used incorrectly, and how they should be used.


Types of Pronouns

Personal pronouns substitute for people or things: you, I, me, him, her, he, she, it, us, them, we, they.

Example: I went to San Diego last weekend.

Possessive pronouns indicate ownership or possession: yours, mine, ours, hers, his, theirs.

Example: “The blue notebook is mine, yours is the green one,” Susan said to Tom.

Demonstrative pronouns point out a specific person or thing: this, that, these, those.

Example: These shoes are much more comfortable than my old ones.

Relative pronouns show a relationship between one part of a sentence and another: who, whom, that, which, whose. Use who, whom or whose to refer to people, and which or that to refer to animals or things.

Example: The woman in the green dress, whom I’ve known for years, is in charge of the campaign.

Example: The living room, which has floor to ceiling windows, gets the most sunlight.

Reflexive pronouns are used to emphasize a noun: yourself, myself, herself, himself, itself, yourselves, themselves, ourselves. In the following example, the pronoun himself emphasizes the noun George.

Example: George asked himself, “What would I do in the same situation?”


A Few Common Mistakes

Some of the most common pronoun mistakes made in conversation have to do with using two personal pronouns together.

Incorrect: Her and her friend went roller skating.

Try breaking this sentence down into two sentences that separate the actions of the two people:

Her went roller skating.
Her friend went roller skating.

You would not say “her went roller skating,” you would say “she went roller skating.” When you break it down in this way, you can see, and hear, the correct way of saying this sentence.

Correct: She and her friend went roller skating.

What about this example?

Incorrect: For Annie and I, planning the trip to Japan was almost as exciting as the trip itself.

To determine whether to use I or me in a sentence like this, take out Annie and, leaving this: For I, planning the trip to Japan was almost as exciting as the trip itself. You would not say for I, you would say for me, and that is how you say it when you add the words Annie and back in:

Correct: For Annie and me, planning the trip to Japan was almost as exciting as the trip itself.

Readers become confused when a pronoun could refer to more than one noun, as in the following: “Cleaning products can be harmful to young children. Make sure you keep them in a locked cabinet.”

Should we lock the children in a cabinet, or the cleaning products? Common sense tells us that it is the cleaning products that should be locked up, but always be aware that your writing can be misunderstood when a reader is forced to guess what the pronoun refers to.

Incorrect: When Tim set the bottle on the glass-topped table, it broke.

What broke, the bottle or the table?

Correct: The bottle broke when Tim set it on the glass-topped table.

One mistake that people often make is to use a reflexive pronoun in the place of a simple personal pronoun.

Incorrect: Please let Joan or myself know when you leave the office.

Correct: Please let Joan or me know when you leave the office.

Again, taking out the words Joan or allows us to hear the correct way to speak or write this sentence.

The pronouns it and they are often used incorrectly, both in speech and in writing. Always use it or they to refer to a specific noun, and not to convey a general idea.

Incorrect: It says in the article that there are 90 calories in one small banana.

Correct: The article states that there are 90 calories in one small banana.

Incorrect: In California, they have strict auto emissions regulations.

Correct: California has strict auto emissions regulations.

This is just a small sampling of the available information on pronouns and how to use them. A good grammar guide, such as Diane Hacker’s Rules For Writers, can be purchased at any bookstore, and is an invaluable resource for students, writers, or anyone interested in writing or speaking well.

Value Yourself

Most of us don't take enough time to relax and just "be". We all lead such busy, complex lives, and it is easy to get caught up in what we "have to do" or "should do", and forget about what is really important.

What's important to you? What do you value? If you were to make a list of what is most important in your life, what would be on that list? Children? Family? Friends? These would certainly be on most people's lists, but don't forget about yourself!

Starting today, plan some time each day just for you. This may be difficult at first, but remember that if you take care of yourself first, you will be happier, healthier, and have more energy for the things you enjoy doing. Use your time to take a nap, read a book, take a walk, listen to music, work on a hobby, give yourself a pedicure, or just sit and daydream. Starting today, make YOU one of the things you value most!

Curiosity

All my life I have been extraordinarily curious. As a child, if I wanted information about something, I went to the library and looked it up. I loved everything about the library, the smell of old paper, looking up a particular book in the card catalog and being able to go directly to its place on the shelf, and just being among others who loved to read as much as I did. I spent hours in the library just learning about things. I didn't think it could get any better than that!

Then I bought a computer and gained access to the internet. I was absolutely amazed at how easy it was to satisfy my curiosity. How do you make a box kite? Do penguins mate for life? What is the population of Costa Rica? Where is the closest coffee shop? The answers were right at my fingertips, any time of the day or night. It was heaven for the chronically curious.

The web was my best friend when I began researching how to start my business. I read a lot of books about business, but on the web I was able to zero in on articles that answered my specific questions on setting up and running a business. While I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge, there were still things that I had to learn on my own. I also know that no matter how many articles exist on a given topic, there is always some bit of information, or a different way of looking at things that can be helpful to someone else.

So, I have been doing some writing the past few weeks, mostly articles on business, but I also plan to write about other things that I know something about and find interesting. If you are curious, here are a couple of links to some recent articles on business: What Does it Take to Run a Successful Business? and Proofreading: One of the Keys to Business Success

One thing though: as much as I love researching online, I still miss the smell of the old library.

Life...and Other Things

Hello! I'm back, after a long absence from this blog! Life is full of ups and downs, and during the past year I have experienced my share of these, but I am back now, refreshed and ready to devote myself to my proofreading/editing business full time again.

One of the downs, for me and for many others, has been the economy. Even in a good economy, running a small business can be challenging. In the current economy, it is more difficult to get financing, the cost of doing business may be higher as prices continue to rise, and consumers are just not spending as much as they were. But it is not hopeless! Here are some ideas to help you and your small business survive a bad economy.

Re-evaluate the way you do business. Do you need to change or modify a product or service? You may be tempted to cut prices, but do this with caution. If you have set your prices based on what the market will bear, and on your own level of experience and expertise, they are probably in the right range. Cutting prices may send the message that your prices were too high to begin with! It may be better to offer temporary specials rather than cut prices across the board.

Take a hard, objective look at the way you market your business. Small businesses do not have the luxury of huge advertising budgets. Look at the way you have advertised or promoted your business in the past. By focusing on the marketing strategies that have actually brought in business, and letting go of those that haven't been helpful, you can get more out of your advertising dollar.

Look at ways to improve customer service. The best way to know whether you need to do this is to simply ask your customers or clients how you are doing. Continue to educate yourself on improving your business and managerial skills. Attend networking groups to learn how others manage their businesses and keep their customers happy.

Other things you may want to consider are: cutting expenses where possible, bartering for services, and consulting with SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) or your local Small Business Development Center.

Keeping your business alive in the current economy is certainly challenging, but not impossible. It is important to be objective about your business and that means you may have to make some difficult decisions. But if you can stay flexible and positive, you can come up with some creative ways to keep your business going until the economic situation improves.

A Few Common Mistakes

For over ten years, I have worked as a proofreader and copy editor. It is not just the way I make my living, it is also something I enjoy doing. I almost can’t help myself—when I read anything, mistakes just seem to jump out at me, demanding to be corrected! On a daily basis, I mentally edit signs, advertisements, newspapers, website content and books. There is no shortage of errors!

Recently, a friend suggested that I compile a list of the worst language mistakes I have seen. I would never publicly embarrass anyone by putting his or her words, along with the unintentional errors, in this blog, but we can all learn from the mistakes of others.

Here, in no particular order, are just a few of the most common grammar mistakes:

Confusing Set and Sit: Set means “to put” or “to place.” Sit means “to be seated.”
John set the pan on the stove. Sally wanted to sit at the head of the table.

Confusing Who’s and Whose: Who’s is a contraction of “who is.” Whose is a possessive pronoun.
Who’s going to the party? Whose car is parked in the driveway?

Confusing Good and Well: Good is an adjective, and modifies a noun or pronoun. Well is an adverb, and modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
Lisa felt she had done a good job on the report. Bart did not feel well yesterday.

Confusing Than and Then: Than is used in comparisons. Then denotes time.
Zachary weighs more than Lily. We got dressed, and then we went to the beach.

Confusing Fewer and Less: Very simply, fewer refers to a number, and less refers to an amount.
There were fewer people at the fair this year. I am trying to use less sugar in my coffee.

Confusing affect and effect: Affect means to influence. Effect means a result.
The construction on the freeway will affect my ability to get to work on time.
Drowsiness is one side effect of that medication.

Using Loose instead of Lose: Loose means “not tight”. Lose is the opposite of “find” or “win.”
Since I lost weight, my belt is loose. I hope the Rams won’t lose the game on Sunday.

May of, might of, must of, should of, could of, would of:
In speech, these words may sound like they end in “of,” but the correct way of writing them is may have, might have, must have, should have, could have, would have.

I’ll leave you with just one more thought:

The word Irregardless has been controversial since it first appeared in the early twentieth century. It is usually listed in dictionaries as "nonstandard". The origin of irregardless is not known, but the consensus among references is that it is a blend of irrespective and regardless, both of which are commonly accepted words. However, by blending these words, an illogical word is created. "Since the prefix ir- means “not” (as it does with irrespective), and the suffix -less means “without,” irregardless is a double negative. The correct word is regardless, meaning without regard for objections.

Punctuation Tips: "Comma Sense"

The comma is the most frequently used punctuation mark, but it can be tricky! The purpose of the comma is to keep the reader from being confused, and to make the meaning of a sentence more clear. A comma indicates a slight pause at that point in the sentence, and can indicate how particular words or phrases relate to other parts of the sentence. The placement of the comma in the following sentence can give it two entirely different meanings:
"Did you cook Tony?"
"Did you cook, Tony?"
Do we want to know if someone cooked Tony, or if Tony cooked a meal? The placement of the comma makes the meaning of the sentence clear to the reader.

Here are some tips for the correct use of commas.

#1. Use commas to separate items in a series:
"Poppies, bluebells, Mariposa lilies, and lupine are all flowers that are native to California."
While there is some debate over whether there should be a comma between the final two items in a series, most experts now advise including it. In the example above, the comma after lilies is considered by most people to be correct.

#2. Use a comma between two or more adjectives that modify a noun:
"The girl with the short, frizzy hair is my best friend."

#3. Use commas with compound sentences. A compound sentence is one containing two independent clauses, that is, two thoughts that could stand alone as sentences. The comma indicates that one independent clause has ended and another is beginning:
"Ryan wanted to play football, so Annette went shopping by herself."

Exception: The comma may be eliminated if the two independent clauses are short and the meaning is clear without the comma:
"We loaded up the van and were on our way."

#4. Use a comma after an introductory word, phrase, clause, or a name used in direct address:
"Kelli, did you feed the cat today?"
"Because Travis did such a good job on the project, he was given a promotion."

#5. Use commas around a word or phrase that interrupts a sentence (parenthetical expressions).
"The car keys, Mathew, are on the hall table."

#6. Use commas if a quoted sentence is interrupted by words such as he said or she replied:
"For this trick," Randy said, "you need a string and a thumbtack."

If you are quoting a question or an exclamation, don't include a comma:
"Let's go to the beach!" Nolan shouted.

When in doubt about using a comma, you can read the sentence aloud to determine whether or not the meaning is clear. Of course, investing in a good grammar usage book takes the guesswork out of it completely, and you can be sure you are using good "comma sense".

Proofread That Website!

I was surfing the web this morning and came across some glaring spelling and punctuation errors on more than one business website. Business owners are typically intelligent, creative people and very good at what they do, but many are not good at catching their own typos and grammar errors.

It can be very difficult to proofread one's own work. When you write something, you know what you are trying to say because you wrote it! Because of this, when you proofread your own work, your brain may fill in any missing words, skip over a punctuation error, and even perceive a misspelled word as correct.

Successful business owners know the importance of projecting a professional image. Research shows that customers are more likely to trust a business that projects a professional image, and are therefore more likely to purchase goods and services from that business.

A potential customer's initial contact with a business is often a website, and I believe that a professional, polished, error-free website can inspire the confidence and trust that lead to a sale. To me, no matter how interesting and compelling the copy is, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors detract from the message, and may turn potential customers off.

What do you think? Does spelling count when it comes to a business website? Does it influence your decision to do business with a particular company?