Thursday, February 21, 2013

Your versus You're: Get it right or pay the price

Hey Girl,

Ryan Gosling's got a problem with ignorance and he's not afraid to do something about it.

Haha!

(image as seen on Pinterest)

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Punctuation: Feeling You're Nuts and...

Funny Somewhat Topical Ecard: Grammar. The difference between feeling your nuts and feeling you're nuts.

Call it grammar, call it punctuation, call it important when conveying certain, um, sentiments.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

12 Items or...?

10 items or fewer. Because you can count items. Yeah! Fewer items from the Dollar Spot fell into my cart!

Tarjay is not the singular culprit in this crime of the countables. Many a purveyor of goods have posted this sign in error above EXPRESS lanes. The Grammarian just happened to notice the friendly brand of the red bullseye had followed the crowd.

And the crowd, as the Grammarian notes, is not always right.

Here's how to know whether to use fewer or less:


Fewer should be used when one wants to describe a countable item. Fewer marbles. Fewer jet planes. Fewer everlasting gobstoppers.

The total countables = quantity.

Less should be used when one wants to describe a non-countable item. Something that would be difficult to measure by a standard metric. Less hope. Less courage. Less foaming at the mouth.

**The easy way to remember this is that many words that are non-countables are paired with the suffix "-less." Hopeless. Fearless. Restless.**


Thursday, January 31, 2013

We love Friday's what?


Dear Johnnie,
Which possession of Friday do you love? Friday's lunches? Friday's teenie-bopper songs? Friday's Restaurant, as in the estimable T.G.I. Friday's with the red and white striped awnings?


The Grammarian is a fan of Fridays in any time zone.

Tweets

  1. Johnnie Boden
    1hJohnnie Boden ‏@BodenUSA
    We love Friday's. We know it's still Thursday but it's 5pm in London so it basically IS Friday. 

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Wal-Mart: Dropping Prices and Dropping Plurals

When I shop at Wally World, I notice things. And sometimes I take pictures of them. And sometimes I make an example of them. But it's not what you think. People of Wal-Mart, shove over. It's time for Punctuation of Wal-Mart.