I'll be honest about this first topic. Understanding how to get it right is tricky.
When you're trying to decide whether to use "who" or "whom," ask yourself whether the answer to the question would be "he" or "him."
That's the trick: If you can answer the question with "him," then use whom. I remember it because him and whom both end in m. (The answer could be "she" and "her" for women, with no helpful "m.")
So, let's say you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?"
The answer would be "I love him." So that question needs "whom."
But if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) is the boss?" the answer would be "she is the boss." So it's "who."
THAT VERSUS WHICH
The word "that" introduces an essential clause, and no commas are needed around it.
The word "which" introduces a nonessential clause, and it has commas around it.
The nonessential clause can be left out without changing the meaning of a sentence. That is why it's called "nonessential."
My old copy editing professor Buck Ryan taught us that if you can say that clause in a lower voice, that signals it's nonessential, and so you need to use "which."
The oatmeal raisin cookie that's hidden in the back of the bakery display is the one I want. It's giant!
The oatmeal raisin cookie, which is homemade, comes free with dinner.
BETWEEN VERSUS AMONG
Between should be used to choose which of two items you want. Among is for more than two.
Wrong: I know that between the three of us, we can decide what movie to see.
Right: I know that among the three of us, we can decide what movie to see.
MOST IMPORTANT OR MOST IMPORTANTLY?
A couple of people this week asked me about "most important" versus "most importantly."
"Importantly" should be used to describe how someone does something. It has a hint of snobbery or disdain.
He sat importantly on the barstool, saying the kids these days knew nothing.
Important is part of how you might conclude a speech.
Most important, I'm the father, and what I say, goes. (I never heard my father say that.)
HOPEFULLY, IT IS
The Associated Press Stylebook, which guides many newspapers across the nation, decided only a couple of years ago that using "hopefully" to start a sentence is OK.
This news caused many grammarians to shudder. AP used to tell us that "hopefully" is no way to start a sentence. It should be changed to "It is hoped" or "We hope."
"Hopefully" should be reserved for cases such as:
He looked hopefully at the last doughnut in the box.
Now we have AP's permission to begin a sentence with "hopefully." One AP editor said they were just being realists.
I had to ask the above-mentioned Buck Ryan what he thought of the news. His succinct answer:
"Hopefully I walked into the room, thinking, 'I hope I never hear someone use "hopefully" to mean "I hope" or "we hope."' The word works best as a sentence adverb."
Sources: Grammar Girl, M-W.com, The Washington Post, The AP Stylebook
Reach Bernadette at
bkwordmonger@gmail.com
ActiveStyle on 09/26/2016