BrainPick Grammar hacks

[Nikky Lee]

I have 5 grammar hacks that I use quite regularly when I write and edit - especially the 'by zombies' trick with passive voice and switching in pronouns in instances of who/whom.

What grammar hacks do you find yourself using all the time? (I might add them to my list too!).

 

[Rich.]

I'm a big fan of fanboys. What's that? F.A.N.B.O.Y.S – for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so – are the coordinating conjunctions. And they are? They're the little words that stick two or more sentences together. What's a sentence? A subject and a predicate. Come again? Someone or something does something – Ahmed has driven home (Ahmed [subject] has driven home [predicate]).

Stop waffling. You said "fanboys"?

It's about commas, you see?

What?

Imagine you want to stick a couple of sentences together. These two for example:

Jim went to the shop. Geeta stayed at home.

You can use those conjunctions we mentioned above, as well as others like because or while. But if you do use one of the FANBOYS conjunctions, you'd better use a comma. Hack, hackety, hack.

Jim went to the shop, and Geeta stayed at home.

 

[Nikky Lee]

if you do use one of the FANBOYS conjunctions, you'd better use a comma. Hack, hackety, hack.

I've not heard this one before—love it! Thanks for sharing @Rich.

 

[Rich.]

Thanks for starting the thread! I do like a bit of grammar, and I'm endlessly fascinated by how language fits together.

With regard to the FANBOYS thing, as is always the case with English, there are exceptions. When you join two sentences with and, and the sentences are short, you can leave out the comma:

The train arrives and the people get off.

But you have to decide for yourself what counts as short.

The other one is when you use so. When so means therefore, use a comma:

Jim went to the shop, so Geeta stayed at home.

But when so means so that (with the result that), the comma is optional:

Jim went to the shop so Geeta didn't have to.

 

[Nikky Lee]

The other one is when you use so. When so means therefore, use a comma:

Jim went to the shop, so Geeta stayed at home.

But when so means so that (with the result that), the comma is optional:

Jim went to the shop so Geeta didn't have to.

I'd never thought of it that way before. Thanks for sharing.

As for exceptions to the rule, this cropped up on my Facebook feed the other day. Thought it was appropriate:


English is a funny language.

 

[Amber]

I like to scroll through my file directory, highlight the name of my work in progress, and hit delete.















<just kidding... mostly>