Category Archives: English grammar

In the right order words putting syntax means

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Syntax means putting words in the right order. The title of this post doesn’t quite make it, does it? Syntax is a subset of grammar. Grammar deals with the entire structure of a language, including conjugation of verbs, agreement of subject and verb (and in some languages, agreement of nouns and adjectives), and so on. Syntax focuses on word order to construct coherent sentences. Many languages have endings that specify the tense of verbs, the cases of nouns, and match them with first, second, and third person; singular and plural; and gender. In those languages, word order matters less. English has rather rigid rules about word order, but writers still have choices when it comes to syntax. We need to think carefully not only to use proper syntax but to use it to greatest effect.

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What are gerunds and present participles in English?

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When you add “-ing” to a verb, you form a present participle. Or a gerund. The two parts of speech look identical, but you use them differently. A present participle is a verb. A gerund is a noun. Reading. What part of speech is that? Actually, it’s impossible to know unless you see in in context. Right now, you are reading this article. “Are reading” is the present progressive tense of read. In other words, “reading” is the present participle. But if you enjoy reading, “reading” is the object of the verb. A verb can’t be an object of a verb. When word ends with “-ing” and looks like a verb but acts like a noun, we call it a gerund. Using gerunds and present participles is usually straightforward, but beware of a couple of traps.

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Bare with me: more misused pears

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I was on live chat with a technician, and at one point he had to look something up. So he typed, “Bare with me.” Well! I’m pretty selective when it comes to either making that invitation or accepting it. Besides, it’s much more fun when we’re in the same room. Here’s another instance where a pear (oops, pair) of homonyms tripped someone up. He chose the wrong word. He meant, “Bear with me.” Bear as a verb has numerous meanings. Among others, it means to tolerate or endure. In this case, “put up with my absence for a while.” Bear also means to proceed in a particular direction, and that reminds me of a story I heard about two very dumb hunters. They wanted to shoot a bear, but they were afraid of getting lost in the woods. So they decided to walk along a road and just look into the woods for the bear. After a while, though, they came to a sign that said, “Lane closed ahead. Bear left.” What else could they do in that case? They just went back home. At least they weren’t watching for the bear with baited breath. If the bear took the … Continue reading →

Going on a “which” hunt: choosing between “that” and “which”

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Probably no one considers relative pronouns exciting. Maybe most people hardly consider them at all, but writers are not most people. Good writers must know the rules of good usage. Writers might on occasion have good reason to ignore the rules, but know them they must. So when should a writer use “that,” and when “which?” Although writers have been arguing for more than a century whether it matters, the most careful writers recognize that the rule is fairly simple. Use “that” to introduce a relative clause that defines or clarifies the meaning of the antecedent noun. Use “which” to introduce one that does not. Or to put it another way, “that” limits the meaning of the noun and “which” does not.

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