Skip to main content
Find Writers Products Industries Plans Become a Writer 1 (866) 501-3116 Sign In Get Started

Products

Blog Posts Press Releases Web Pages Product Descriptions Newsletters
Transcriptions Social Media Posts Video Scripts Custom Projects Content Tune-Ups
Ad Copy Ebooks Editing Q&A Content Whitepapers
Facebook Post Instagram Post

Industries

Agriculture Art & Design Automotive Building Materials Cannabis Career Construction Counseling Customer Service Dental Education Energy & Environment Engineering
Fashion & Beauty Family Practice Food & Beverage Gaming Health & Wellness Healthcare Higher Education Home & Garden Human Resources Injury Law Interior Design IT & Security
Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Medical Law Nutrition Parenting Payments Personal Finance Real Estate Relationships
Retail & Ecommerce Religion & Spirituality Restaurant and Bar SaaS Sales Senior Services Software Sports & Fitness Technology Transportation & Logistics Travel
x Close Menu Find Writers Products
Blog Posts Press Releases Web Pages
Product Descriptions Newsletters Transcriptions
Social Media Posts Video Scripts Custom Projects
Content Tune-Ups Ad Copy Ebooks
Editing Q&A Content Whitepapers
Facebook Posts Instagram Posts
Industries
Agriculture Art & Design Automotive Building Materials Dental Gaming Fashion & Beauty Family Practice Cannabis Career Construction Counseling Customer Service Injury Law Interior Design IT & Security Retail & Ecommerce Education Energy & Environment Food & Beverage Personal Finance Healthcare Health & Wellness Higher Education Home & Garden Human Resources Transportation & Logistics Insurance Legal Manufacturing Media & Entertainment Medical Law Nutrition Parenting Payments Real Estate Religion & Spirituality Restaurant and Bar SaaS Sales Senior Services Software Sports & Fitness Technology Travel Relationships Engineering
Plans Become a Writer Login Get Started 1 (866) 501-3116
  1. Blog Home
  2. Writing
  3. Scripted Writers
  4. To Go Boldly Into Infinitives and Other Grammar Rules

To Go Boldly Into Infinitives and Other Grammar Rules

To Go Boldly Into Infinitives and Other Grammar Rules
Do you know your grammar rules? Read on to test your knowledge.



Good grammar is an important tool for effective writing. Most writers recognize when to use "I" as opposed to "me," but does "she" come before or after "you?" Read on for a refresher of some grammar rules that every writer should know and understand.

Listing Pronouns


In English, nouns change based on how they are used in a sentence. This is a relic of Latin, on which English grammar is based. For example, the use of "I" and "me" depends on the placement of these nouns in a sentence.

A subject performs an action of the verb and an object receives the action. In the sentence "she and I went to the park," both "she" and "I" are subject pronouns, performing the action of going to the park. In comparison, the sentence "the teacher saw her and me at the park" exhibits the correct uses of object pronouns: "her" and "me" receive the action of the teacher.

Grammarly.com recommends you never combine a subject pronoun with an object pronoun in one phrase, as one of the pronouns will likely be used wrongly. Grammarians also recognize the following order of pronouns: third person (she), second person (you), and finally first person (I). This applies whether subject or object pronouns are used.

Expressing Wishes With "Were"


The subjunctive mood expresses wishes, desires and some other statements that offer speculation. The verb "were" is used in English to express a wish. "I wish I were an astronaut" correctly uses the subjunctive "were," as does the sentence "Molly wishes she were a runner." "Were" can also denote past tense, which is why some mistakenly use "was" in sentences requiring the subjunctive. "I wish I was an astronaut" and "Molly wishes she was a runner" are not correctly written.

The subjunctive "were" can also be used to begin a wish: "Were I a chef, I would cook every day."

Who and Whom


The relative pronouns "who" and "whom" are often confused. "Who" (subject) will perform a verb, while "whom" (object) will receive the action of the verb or a preposition. A common way to determine which should be used is to remember that "who" is equivalent to "he," while "whom" is equivalent to "him." For instance, in the sentence, "I was the man who ate the sandwich," there are two clauses: "I was the man" and "who ate the sandwich." Because the second clause can also be expressed as "he ate the sandwich, "who" is correct. In contrast, the clause "whom should I avoid" can be expressed as "I should avoid him." Therefore, "whom" is correct.

It's Latin to You


Latin also influences the ways that writers elaborate. The abbreviation "i.e." comes from the Latin id est (that is) and is used to clarify information: "I enjoy reading the Classics -- i.e., works written in Ancient Greek and Latin." The abbreviation "e.g." derives from exempli gratia (for the sake of example) and is used when an author wants to provide an example or a list of examples: "I enjoy reading Classical authors -- e.g., Homer."

Infinitives


An infinitive is the form of a verb that lacks a personal ending (e.g., "to go). It is impossible to split an infinitive in Latin, and grammarians typically apply this rule to English -- an adverb, or any other part of speech, should be placed outside of the infinitive. "I went to the library to diligently read my book" splits the infinitive "to read." In order to keep the infinitive intact, the phrase should be written as "I went to the library to read my book diligently."

Participial Endings


When a word sounds like a verb but is used as an adjective, it is called a participle. In the combination "iced tea," the tea (noun) has been cooled (verbal description) by ice. Don't drop the participial ending in these cases; in this example, it's the "-ed." Otherwise, there will be two nouns that have been adjoined vaguely: ice tea.

Between You and Me


Use "between" for two entities or lists of distinct things and "among" for more than two. The object forms of pronouns should also be used -- i.e., use "me" rather than "I" following "between."

What grammar rules do you often slip up on? Let us know in the comments below.

See Below For More Tips on Writing Well:


Writing Compelling Infographic Content Without Images
Plagiarism: Just Don't Do It
How to Keep Creativity Alive

Published by Scripted Writers on Thursday, July 9, 2015 in Writing, Grammar, Infinitives, Participals, Pronouns, Scripted.

Sign Up For Your 30 Day Free Trial Today!

You agree to Scripted’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Login
©2011-2022
Our Company
About Us Privacy Terms of Use GDPR Trust
For Members
Enterprise Agencies Publishers Customer FAQs Newsletter Customer Sign In
For Writers
Writer Services Agreement Writer FAQs Writer Sign In
Additional Resources
The Scripted Blog Industries Podcast Technology Affiliates Competitors
Social Buttons