For example, it might be hypothetical, wished for, or conditional. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing wikipedia. 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. Were is used in the second person singular and plural and first and third person plural.
These words are used differently in sentences, so its important to know when to use were vs. Were in this context if this is your first visit, be sure to check out the faq by clicking the link above. 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. Was is used in the first and third person singular past. What, on the other hand, is used when there are many or infinite choices. Think of them as your tickets into a rather exclusive circle, if not the writers club itself. Informative and entertaining, makes you feel not as weird for having grammar questions. 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.
Her second book, the grammar devotional, was published by holt in. Subscribe to the daily brief, our morning email with news and. Another combo that can get confusing is was vs were. If you find yourself debating whether to use was or were in a sentence, its likely that youre dealing with an unreal conditional sentence. The verb following a collective noun has nothing to do with whats assumed rto be unspoken or. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. Mignon fogarty created the grammar girl podcast in july. 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. But most people younger than 40 arent even aware that these were once contested usages. Grammar girls 101 misused words youll never confuse again.
None is a collective noun and is not short for not one. The author michael strumpf started a national grammar hot line. 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. The grammar instruction was a mix of things i already knew its vs. If i were the grammar czar, i would have imposed that decree long ago. They are not homophoneswords that have the same sounds or spellingsand their meanings and uses are quite different. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Im certain, though, that you sometimes commit a ghastly grammar goof when the subject is far from the verb. Enough discerning readers out there do know the differences.
What is the difference between were and have been, and are these sentences gramatically correct. Girl s one girl, but it is possessive it shows what is hers, what belongs to her. For example, the term english grammar may refer to the whole of english grammar. 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. Jan 01, 2008 to the delight of word nerds everywhere, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing came out yesterday. I would call this a promise even though its conditional on being good. There are several reasons why you might be struggling to decide whether you should be using was or were in a sentence. Was were usually applies to something done in the past that no longer applies single event. Aug 22, 2011 i wish i were infographic is clickable.
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. Browse other questions tagged grammar usage tenses pasttense or ask your own question. Aug 28, 2019 the words were, we re, and where are easily confused because they have similar sounds and spellings. Mar 21, 2016 english can be difficult, especially when it comes to words that can be easily confused. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by. Get out your grammar books folks youre on the wrong track. 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. Always remember this rule about the usage of was and were. I have read several books on word usage and have benefited from all. To book a lecture event with mignon fogarty for your company or. Grammar girl is here to help further versus farther, compliment versus complement, affect versus effect the evercomplex, oftenirregular english language is full of traps. 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. Learn when to say if i was, when to say if i were, and what subjunctive means. She was previously the chair of media entrepreneurship in the reynolds school of.
Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Dec 12, 2008 when you are supposing the impossible, however, you use a plural verb, were, with the singular i, like this. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing. You cannot always trust popular songs to use correct grammar, but this one does. Theyre quiz 2 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. That english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary. 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. Flashbacks in books grammar girl quick and dirty tips. If she were the hostess, shed have to stay at the party. Mar 04, 2014 grammar girl explains the difference between who vs. Her grammar girl website and podcast have made her a usage guru for the. 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. The rolling gurney is about to crash into the unwary sign writer. 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.
Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. This, of course, is a quote from a song in the musical fiddler on the roof. A verb is in the subjunctive mood if it expresses an action or state that is not reality. Mar 19, 2015 your subjectverb agreement is most likely fine when the subject is close to the verb, as it is here. And yet, the main protagonist often changes a tense from i was to i. If i were a rich man, id see my wife, my rosie, looking like a rich mans wife. Which is used when there are a finite number of choices. Some people on earth know the differences between that and which. 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.
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. The term grammar can also describe the rules which govern the linguistic behavior of a group of speakers. As in other humanistic grammars, all the features of latin were explained by giving their english equivalents. The simplest of these is the conjugation of the singular and. Using subjunctive verbs grammar girl quick and dirty tips. How grammar girl turned a single hobby podcast into a growing. So itll pay dividends for you to use these words correctly.
Apr 01, 20 lilys grammar is a straightforward exposition of latin morphology and syntax based on the eight parts of speech. 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. 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. 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. To download high resolution poster click here embed this image to your site. I wish i were grammar newsletter english grammar newsletter. Anonymousif you are good today, i will let you watch tv tonight. Before the fourteenth century, the subjunctive forms of verbs in english were well used, but most have faded out from modern english almost completely. Check out her new york times bestseller, grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Mignon believes that learning is fun, and the vast rules of grammar are wonderful fodder. Mignon fogarty is grammar girl and the founder of quick and dirty tips. 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. A subreddit for questions and discussions about grammar, language, style, conventions, and punctuation.
Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Was and were are both past tenses of the verb to be. Ive searched far and wide for an english grammar book that was useful and treated reader like an educated adult rather than a child. Students were required to memorize latins complicated system of inflectional endings by reciting paradigms.
Books similar to grammar girls quick and dirty tips for. She said shes started selling ads and is even getting some interest from book publishers. New york times bestselling author mignon fogarty shares her weekly grammar girl podcast and video tips about english, grammar, and writing. A couple of examples would be who vs whom and further vs farther. 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 girls quick and dirty tips for better writing, which was named. 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. Were rhymes with fur is a past form of the verb to be. The thing is currently im reading one american book where, of course, a narration style dominates. Grammar girl mignon fogarty on the biggest changes in language. 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. The singular subject gurney pairs up with the singular verb is.