{"id":1222,"date":"2016-10-08T15:09:00","date_gmt":"2016-10-08T15:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nickiong.com\/wp\/?p=1222"},"modified":"2021-04-02T15:13:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T15:13:35","slug":"10-grammar-tricks-to-help-you-master-the-english-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nickiong.com\/wp\/blog\/2016\/10\/08\/10-grammar-tricks-to-help-you-master-the-english-language\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Grammar Tricks to Help You Master the English Language"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you know me, then you know I\u2019m a bit of a grammar nazi. I\u2019m not perfect at it, but it does drive me crazy when people blatantly destroy the English language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"7585568394_4fdf171c0d_z\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

1. Than vs. Then<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Think of\u00a0then<\/strong>\u00a0as apart of a sequence: first, next, then, last;\u00a0than\u00a0<\/strong>is used to\u00a0compare<\/em>\u00a0things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got dressed this morning and then<\/strong> I made my bed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d rather make my bed\u00a0than<\/strong>\u00a0do most other chores.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. To, Too, and Two<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Nine times out of ten, you\u2019re going to use\u00a0to<\/strong>\u00a0in a sentence.\u00a0The best way to remember using\u00a0too<\/strong>\u00a0is you can replace it with\u00a0also<\/strong>.\u00a0Two<\/strong>\u00a0is, of course, referring to the number 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went to<\/strong> the movies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to go to the movies too<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw\u00a0two<\/strong>\u00a0new movies last month.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. There, Their, and They\u2019re<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u00a0<\/strong>is a place,\u00a0their\u00a0<\/strong>is a possessive term, and\u00a0they\u2019re<\/strong>\u00a0is short for \u201cthey are\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The children went over there<\/strong> to play.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their<\/strong> favorite activity at the playground is swinging.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re<\/strong>\u00a0never going to want to come home after having so much fun.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Your vs. You\u2019re<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your\u00a0<\/strong>is the possessive and\u00a0you\u2019re<\/strong>\u00a0is \u201cyou are\u201d. Remember, if you can\u2019t say \u201cyou are\u201d and have it make sense, then it should be \u201cyour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s your<\/strong> choice where we go for lunch.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re<\/strong>\u00a0the best at picking great restaurants.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Its vs. It\u2019s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Similarly,\u00a0its\u00a0<\/strong>is the possessive and\u00a0it\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0is \u201cit is\u201d or \u201cit has.\u201d Just like \u201cyour\u201d and \u201cyou\u2019re,\u201d make sure you can always say \u201cit is\u201d when you use \u201cit\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It feels like the sun is shining\u00a0its<\/strong>\u00a0hottest today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sun is shining now, but\u00a0it\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0supposed to rain later.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. The Semicolon [;]<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A semicolon is used to separate two parts of a compound sentence. Typically, I remember it this way: a semicolon can be used instead of a period to split two complete sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you make a grilled cheese sandwich, it\u2019s best to butter the bread before toasting;<\/strong>\u00a0it has much more flavor that way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Affect vs. Effect<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Affect<\/strong>\u00a0is a verb, while\u00a0effect\u00a0<\/strong>is a noun. If you can replace \u201caffect\u201d with \u201cto influence,\u201d you\u2019re using it the correct way. If you\u2019re describing the \u201ceffects\u201d of something, you\u2019ve got the right form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t think the cold would affect<\/strong> me so much.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It only took about 10 minutes of skiing to feel the\u00a0effects<\/strong>\u00a0of the cold.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Who vs. Whom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best way I\u2019ve learned this is by replacing each:\u00a0who<\/strong>\u00a0with he, and\u00a0whom<\/strong>\u00a0with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know who<\/strong> to vote for.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whom\u00a0<\/strong>should I vote for?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Lose vs. loose<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Lose<\/strong>\u00a0is when you don\u2019t win at something or you lost something;\u00a0loose<\/strong>\u00a0is the opposite of tight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always lose<\/strong> my car keys when I\u2019m in a hurry.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need a belt; my pants are too\u00a0loose<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Quotations and punctuation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When quotation marks and punctuation are used together, remember that punctuation\u00a0always<\/em>\u00a0goes before the quotation marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/strong>When I was in school,\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>he said,\u00a0\u201c<\/strong>I was the class clown!\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bonus: Words that don\u2019t exist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

These are all words that don\u2019t exist; remove them from your vocabulary!<\/p>\n\n\n\n