When Sentences Start with “Here” or “There”

When Sentences Start with “Here” or “There”

by | Mar 8, 2024

In most declarative English sentences, the subject precedes the verb. But when a sentence starts with either here or there, the order is often reversed, and we are tempted to use a singular verb when we need a plural one. Can you spot the agreement error in each of...
Either-Or, Neither-Nor, and Other Correlatives

Either-Or, Neither-Nor, and Other Correlatives

by | Sep 23, 2021

When we think of conjunctions, most of us think of single words: and, but, therefore, although, and the rest of the coordinating, adverbial, and subordinating conjunctions. But when conjunctions work in pairs, we call them correlatives because they link two...
Parallel Structure in Lists (Embedded)

Parallel Structure in Lists (Embedded)

by | Sep 10, 2021

Elsewhere on this site, we discuss the importance of parallel structure in vertical (bulleted) lists. But two or more parts of a sentence, clause, or phrase should be grammatically parallel even without bullets (or numbers or letters). This article focuses on parallel...
Myth Rules: Eight So-Called Rules to Ignore

Myth Rules: Eight So-Called Rules to Ignore

by | May 19, 2021

My first exposure to the phrase “myth rules” was the use of that expression in Edgar H. Schuster’s 2003 book (which I highly recommend), Breaking the Rules: Liberating Writers through Innovative Grammar Instruction. But long before I discovered Schuster’s list of...