Grammar Nazi

[Grandpa]

I was reminded of a problem I have while I was posting to the Walking Dead thread this morning. I never know when to use the word 'that'. I used the word twice in the following sentence. Should I have?

I'm actually surprised the girls lived as long as they did since Carol and Tyreese were too dumb to figure out that they shouldn't run off and leave the girls alone... that every time they left the girls alone, zombies attacked them.

I'm with ya. I don't get whether "that" is helpful or just noisy. Maybe it's a matter of a given ear for a given sentence.

I hoped I would see her again.
I hoped that I would see her again.

I dunno. Either/or. But....

I understood he would do what it takes.
I understood that he would do what it takes.

To my ear, the second one has better meter to it.

Another question while typing this post popped up lol... Is 'Should I have?' a complete sentence?

Q Should you have used a complete sentence?
A Should I have? Yes. I should have.

I think it's complete. But whether or not it is, it conveyed the meaning clearly, and that's what counts.

 

[Becks19]

The word "tooken" drives me up the wall. Never heard it until I moved to the south. The correct word is "taken".

Spidey, Ha ha. Try being married to someone from Kentucky....My husband uses that word all the time. (it isn't even a word grr) No offense to all of the southerners here!

 

[no bounce no play]

For me, it's prolly. The word is probably dammit!! And what's up with the trend to make plurals into possessives by adding the apostrophe "s" when it clearly should not have the apostrophe because you were talking about more than one of something?!

Some of my posts might disturb you then since I shorten the word because to cause, and the word supposed to spose I type the way I speak lol

 

[Moderator]

Some of my posts might disturb you then since I shorten the word because to cause, and the word supposed to spose I type the way I speak lol

I'm twitching even as I read.

 

[Bryan James]

I think it is appropriate to start a sentence with "that," but never to end one thusly.

Or thatly.

Unless one o' all y'alls be's forcing a rhyme, ya know what I'm sayin'?

 

[Grandpa]

I think it is appropriate to start a sentence with "that," but never to end one thusly.

I dunno. Are you sure about that?

 

[Out of Order]

What if you end a sentence with and that's that?

 

[blunthead]

I was reminded of a problem I have while I was posting to the Walking Dead thread this morning. I never know when to use the word 'that'. I used the word twice in the following sentence. Should I have?

I'm actually surprised the girls lived as long as they did since Carol and Tyreese were too dumb to figure out that they shouldn't run off and leave the girls alone... that every time they left the girls alone, zombies attacked them.

Another question while typing this post popped up lol... Is 'Should I have?' a complete sentence?

I used to use "that" too much; so much, that I avoided using it at all. Nowadays I'm careful not to pick up the bad habit again. The use of some words and phrases becomes habitual; a prime example being the phrase "you know", which I still struggle with personally.

As for your use of "that" above, no bounce no play, I'd actually add a that to the sentence, right after "surprised". It's not wrong or too much that there are three thats.

That - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[blunthead]

What if you end a sentence with and that's that?

That's fine, just don't forget the period. Or the question mark, or exclamation...you get it.

 

[blunthead]

Took Take Tooken... sounds right to me

This might be a Texas thing... Do people in Florida add st to the end of words? It took me a while to figure out the word pronounced wonst means once.

Some of this is really hard.

 

[fushingfeef]

After I write a manuscript I search for unnecessary "that".
Also "got" can be eliminated in most instances.

 

[blunthead]

My head spins when someone asks me to be more pacific.
Specific means to clearly define or identify. The Pacific is an ocean.

Maybe they're wondering what you'd be like wetter.

 

[skimom2]

Mine is "then." Mostly unnecessary to the story. Of course the next action will happen "then." That's how things happen.

Speaking of redundancies, there are a couple that I see often in editing/proofreading. The first is related to the bit I quoted--restating the obvious: "He shrugged his shoulders." What else could he shrug? His feet? Obviously "his shoulders" can go

The second is anthropomorphizing body parts (or at least having them act independently). I write and primarily edit women's fiction (though I have done some kids' lit and an absolutely stunning MG fantasy), and this is a big problem with this genre. An occasional "Her lips twitched" is fine, but describing every movement of a human body as if the part was moving on its own, without reference to the body part owner, is silly. "His arm raised", "Her feet danced" (used repetitively) doesn't sound half as good as, "He raised his arm", or "She danced."

Not grammar, but structural issues that can drag a manuscript/document/ whatever down just as quickly

 

[skimom2]

And what's up with the trend to make plurals into possessives by adding the apostrophe "s" when it clearly should not have the apostrophe because you were talking about more than one of something?!

One of my biggest peeves. My kids have taken to pointing out every one they see because they enjoy watching me froth at the mouth (lol)

 

[skimom2]

I do ok with words, but punctuation is what gets me. Mainly commas and semicolons, etc.

Commas suck. I hate every bat-crap one of them (can you tell that I'm a Comma Queen when left to my own devices? lol). I can see comma errors in the writing of others, but am completely blind to them in my own. Editors rule!

 

[Moderator]

Speaking of redundancies, there are a couple that I see often in editing/proofreading. The first is related to the bit I quoted--restating the obvious: "He shrugged his shoulders." What else could he shrug? His feet? Obviously "his shoulders" can go

The second is anthropomorphizing body parts (or at least having them act independently). I write and primarily edit women's fiction (though I have done some kids' lit and an absolutely stunning MG fantasy), and this is a big problem with this genre. An occasional "Her lips twitched" is fine, but describing every movement of a human body as if the part was moving on it's own, without reference to the body part owner, is silly. "His arm raised", "Her feet danced" (used repetitively) doesn't sound half as good as, "He raised his arm", or "She danced."

Not grammar, but structural issues that can drag a manuscript/document/ whatever down just as quickly

May I change that to its?

 

[blunthead]

Good evening.

May you and yours be well or on the mend.

I LOVE this thread but I am second guessing my posts and grammar! Ha!

I have no idea what a dangling participle is...although I watched an episode of Designing Women (T.V. show.) and one of the female characters was called out because she committed a grammar infraction!

She then continued to repeat her sentence but included the word "B**** at the end and THEN it was grammatically correct.



Peace.

Dangling participles or modifiers can be fun...

Climbing through the trees, Susie enjoyed watching the monkeys.

Dangling modifier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[blunthead]

but describing every movement of a human body as if the part was moving on it's own

May I change that to its?

Gots to take care round the Modster.

 

[skimom2]

May I change that to its?

HAHAHA! I did it to myself! Yes, you may

 

[blunthead]

I'm still trying to learn how and when to use "may" versus "might". I found myself writing that I may do this or that, then decided it's should have been might all along.

may - have permission to <you may go now>: be free to <a rug on which children may sprawl — C. E. Silberman> —used nearly interchangeably with can

might —used in auxiliary function to express permission, liberty, probability, possibility in the past <the president might do nothing without the board's consent> or a present condition contrary to fact <if you were older you might understand> or less probability or possibility than may<might get there before it rains> or as a polite alternative to may<might I ask who is calling> or to ought or should<you might at least apologize>