WHEN BAD GRAMMAR HAPENS TO GOOD PEOPLE

When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People

between, among, 131 credible, creditable, credulous, 185
biannually, biennially, 173 criteria, criterion, 166
bigger, biggest, 127-128
bring, take, 209 D
burglary, robbery, 198-199
burst, principal parts, 92-93 delusion, allusion, illusion, 182
demonstrative pronouns, 35
C direct objects, 49-50
dive, principal parts, 93
can, may, 199 do, principal parts, 91-92
cent, cents, 228 drink, principal parts, 93-94
childish, childlike, 183-184 drive, principal parts, 96-97
clause,
E
adjective, 53
adverbial, 53 each, 113-114
independent, 52 eager, anxious, 201
nonrestrictive, 72 effect, affect, 171
noun, 54 either, or, 109-110, 154
restrictive, 72 elegy, eulogy, 186
subordinate, 53 elude, allude, 175
complements, eminent, imminent, 175-176
of direct objects, 49-50 enthuse, 217-218
of indirect objects, 50 epitaph, epithet, 186-187
of linking verbs, 50-51 err, 227
complete subject, 48 etc., 221-222
compose, comprise, 199-200 eulogy, elegy, 186
compound subjects, 107-108 except, accept, 170
comprise, compose, 199-200 explicit, implicit, 201-202
conjunctions, 32, 44-45, 151-162
coordinating, 44-45 F
subordinating, 45-46
connections, 151-162 farther, further, 132
continual, continuous, 184 fewer, less, 131-132
convince, persuade, 200-201 figuratively, literally, virtually,
coordinating conjunctions, 44-45
could have, could of, 174 202-203
first person, indicative, 21
250 flaunt, flout, 187

Index

fragments, sentence, 46-47 interrogative pronouns, 35
further, farther, 132 intransitive verbs, 79-81
future perfect tense, 88 irrelevant, 230
future tense, 87 irritate, annoy, aggravate, 197-198
is, are, 163
G “-ize,” adding, 217

go, went, 21 J
good, well, 125-126
jive, jibe, 176-177
H
K
hang, principal parts, 95-96
her, she, 60-61 kind of, sort of, rather, 204
hopefully, 39-140
L
I
lay, lie, 81-84
I, me, 55, 59-60 least, less, 128
illusion, allusion, delusion, 182 leave, let, 204
imminent, eminent, 175-176 less, fewer, least, 131-132
immoral, amoral, 171-172 let, leave, 204
imperative mood, 39 liable, apt, likely, 205-206
implicit, explicit, 201-202 lie, lay, 81-84
imply, infer, 203-204 like, 222
in the event that, 159 likely, apt, liable, 205-206
incredible, incredulous, 185-186 linking verb, 50-51
indefinite pronouns, 35, 113-115 literally, figuratively, virtually,
independent clause, 52
indicative first person, 21 202-203
indicative mood, 39 luxuriant, luxurious, 187-188
indicative past tense, 21
indirect object, 50 M
infer, imply, 203-204
intensive pronouns, 55, 75-76 made-up words, 215-216
intensive-or-reflexive pronouns, authored, written, 216
critiques, criticized, 216
34-35 gifted, presented, 216
interjections, 32, 46 irregardless, regardless,
215-216

may, can, 199

251

When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People

me, myself, I, 55, 59-60 parts of speech, 32-46
memorandums, memoranda, passive voice, 38
past participles, 88-89
167 past perfect tense, 87-88
mispronounced words, 227-233 past tense, 21, 87, 88-89
modifiers, penultimate, ultimate, 137
per, 158
absolute, 135-139 percent, percentage, 206-207
distance/number/quantity, 131 periodic, periodical, 189
impreciseandmade-up,39-142 persecute, prosecute, 189
modifiers, 123-126, 127-130 person, indicative first, 21
mood of a verb, personal pronoun, case forms,
imperative, 39
indicative, 39 objective, 57
subjunctive, 39, 100-104 possessive, 57
moral, morale, 188 subjective, 57
more, most, 129-130 personal pronouns, 34, 36, 37, 57
myself, me, 76 persuade, convince, 200-201
phenomena, phenomenons, 166
N plenty, 141
plurals, 163-168
near, nearly, 125 plus, 158-159
neither, nor, 109-110, 154 possessive case, 57, 67-68
none, 114-115 predicate, 47-48
nonrestrictive clauses, 72 prepositions, 32, 43-44, 143-150
nor, neither, 109-110, 154 present perfect tense, 87
noun clause, 54 present tense, 86-89
nouns, 32, 33, 39-40 proceed, precede, 190
number, amount, 132-133 pronoun case, 67-68, 59-66
pronouns as adjectives, 40
O pronouns,
demonstrative, 35
objective case, 57-58, 67-68 indefinite, 35
off of, 148 intensive, 55, 75-76
or, either, 109-110, 154 intensive-or-reflexive, 34-35
or, subjects joined by, 109-111
owing to the fact that, 160

P

parts of a sentence, 46-50

252

Index

interrogative, 35 similar sounding words,170-177
personal, 34, 36, 57 simple subject, 48
reflexive, 55, 75-76 simple, simplistic, 192
relative, 35, 55, 57, 71-73 since, 160
pronunciation, 24 sing, principal parts, 95
prosecute, persecute, 189 sit, set, 84-85
pronouns, variations, so far as, as far as, 133
according to case, 37 sort of, kind of, rather, 204
according to person/ speech, parts of, 32-46
spring, principal parts, 95-96
number, 35-36 subjective case, 57
subjects with complex modifiers,
Q
106-107
quotation, quote, 207 subjects, 47, 48, 107-108
subjunctive mood, 39, 100-104
R subordinate clause, 53
subordinating conjunctions, 45-46
rather, sort of, kind of, 204 sure and, 97-98
real, really, 124-125 swim, principal parts, 94
reflexive pronouns, 55, 75-76
regretfully, 140 T
relative pronoun, case forms, 57
relative pronouns, 35, 55, 57, 71-73 tact, tack, 177
respectful, respective, 190 take, bring, 209
restrictive clauses, 72 tenses, verb,
ring, principal parts, 94-95
robbery, burglary, 198-199 future perfect, 88
future, 87
S indicative past, 21
past perfect, 87-88
sensual, sensuous, 191 past, 87
sentence fragments, 46-47 present perfect, 87
sentences, 46-50 present, 86-87
set, sit, 84-85 that, which, 73
shall, will, 91 the. See articles
she, her, 60-61
similar looking words, 181-193

253

When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People

their, them, 67-68 linking, 50-51
to be, forms of, 89-90 transitive, 79-81
transitive verbs, 79-81 virtually, literally, figuratively,
try and, 98 202-203
voice of a verb, 38
U
W
ultimate, penultimate, 137
uninterested, disinterested, 192-193 was, 102
usage, definition, 24 well, good, 125-126
use, utilize, 209-210 went, go, 21
were, 102
V where, 157-158
which, that, 73
verb, principal parts, 88-89 who, whom, 22, 55, 61-62
past participle, 88-89 whoever, whomever, 62-63
past-tense form, 88-89 whom, who, 22, 55, 61-62
present-tense form, 88-89 whomever, whoever, 62-63
will, shall, 91
verb, “-wise,” adding, 218
mood of a, 39
voice of a, 38

verbs, 32, 37-39, 79-104
action, 51
intransitive, 79-81

254

Perplexing Pronouns

About the Author
and Editor

Ann Batko is a business communications expert and a
former Executive Editor of Rand McNally & Company. Dur-
ing her 20-year career, she has trained advertising, marketing,
and publishing executives in effective writing and presenta-
tion skills. She lives in the Chicago area with her daughter,
whom she is currently instructing on the proper uses of the
subjunctive mood.

Edward Rosenheim is the David B. and Clara E. Stern
Professor Emeritus in the Department of English Language
and Literature at the University of Chicago, where he taught
for 42 years. Dr. Rosenheim is a Jonathan Swift scholar and
has written a number of important books, articles, and reviews
on this subject. For 20 years he was the editor of the presti-
gious journal Modern Philology.

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