A grammar prayer …

Please join us in our daily devotional …

Our grammar, which art in English, respected be thy style.

Thy rules become, thy laws be done online as they are in literature.

Give us this day our daily tips and forgive us our goofs as we forgive those who gaffe against us.

And lead us not into frustration, but deliver us from faux pas.

Amen.

Copyright © 2009 Grammar Police a.k.a. GrammarCops

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A win-win preposition …

We found another great source for grammar tips, so, we hereby pass it … on:

Kenneth’s ESL Blog

Today, we especially like his posts on prepositions:

Noun prepositions, and the Preposition Quiz

Enjoy!

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There you have it …

A reader writes:

“What is the difference between ‘There‘ and ‘Their‘ ?”

First, the grammatical specifics (we’ve also added “They’re“), then, the tips …

1. There

• the adverb (as opposed to here): in or at that place; at that point in action or speech; into or to that place. “Let’s go there!”
• the pronoun: that place; that point. “There is no hatred among friends.”
• the noun: that state or condition. “We’ll take you to the next stop. You’re on your own from there.”
• the adjective: a demonstrative adjective used after a noun. “I read that book there.”
• the interjection: used to express satisfaction. “There! We’re done with this list.” (almost)
• the combining form (obscure): We will not discuss today.

2. Their

• the possessive (of they) personal pronoun:  used as an attributive adjective before a noun. “… their house.” “Announcing their arrival.”
• the gender-neutral replacement: that person. used after an indefinite singular antecedent instead of a definite his or her. “Everyone sings their own tune.”

3. They’re

• the contraction: short for “they are.” “They’re coming our way.”

Tips:

1. “There” includes “here,” so use this when talking about a location or point of action.

2. “Their” includes an “i,” so, be possessive, and use this as a pronoun (as you would use “mine,” “his,” or “hers“).

3. “They’re” includes most of the word “are,” so use this when multiples are doing something.

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