|
After only two weeks of using the "Summertime & the Livin' Is Easy" headline I'm bored of it. So expect new headlines as we continue throughout the summer (or until I'm bored) with back-to-basics tips.
Summer back-to-basics tip # 5: pronouns Companies, NGOs, associations, countries, cities, schools, political parties, think tanks, charities, restaurants, etc., may be composed of many people, but when referring to any of them as a single entity, it’s a singular noun, even if it ends in the letter s. So while the first time you refer to it you’ll no doubt call it by its name – the Girl Scouts, National Governors Association, Microsoft – on second reference it’s an it, not a them or a they or a their. Think about it: you’d never write “IBM are going to move into new offices,” you’d write “IBM is going to move into new offices.” You know instinctively that IBM is a single entity requiring a singular verb (is). Yet for some reason people don’t make the same intuitive connection when referring to that entity on second and third references. They write “IBM is going to move into their new offices.” Ouch. Just remember, a single noun requires a single pronoun.
Summer back-to-basics tip # 6: more pronouns We’d never say or write, “Be sure to call I at home,” yet the minute another person is involved we’re not sure if it’s “ be sure to call Miranda and I at home " or "be sure to call Miranda and me at home." Here’s a fail-safe solution: Just remove the other person (ciao, Miranda) or thing from the sentence. In other words, send Miranda packing and what are you left with? "Be sure to call me at home." Ah, so it’s “be sure to call Miranda and me at home.” This trick works just as well with other pronouns, like she, her, etc. “Grandfather left Osgood and (me? I?) his estate.” Remove Osgood, so it’s “Grandfather left me his estate.” |
« Summertime, and the Livin' Is Easy, part II | Main | Don't Hurt Yourself Doing the Splits »
June 21, 2009
Comments
The comments to this entry are closed.
Why "Word Wise"?
- When I started to e-mail out a weekly writing tip to my Chicago colleagues at Edelman in 2002, little did I know how quickly how many people outside my office would start to request it. But word spread, as word is wont to do, and in 2006 the e-mail evolved into this blog. The tips, which are about grammar, usage and style, have a dual purpose – to remind my colleagues in PR of the power of the written word and, more generally, to support and perpetuate clear, concise, creative, honest, lively, stylish, compelling writing everywhere. In 2009 I started to add commentary about and links to stories and other blog posts related to the media, marketing, writing and, sometimes, just interesting stuff. For some reason, I also started Twittering (at SantowDan).
1.
>you’d never write “IBM are going to move into new offices,”
You would write that if you were from the UK.
2. If you're tired of "Summertime and the Livin' is Easy," keep moving through the music catalog:
"Ain't no cure for the Summertime blues"
"We've been having fun all summer long"
"There's danger in the summer moon above"
"switch on summer from a slot machine"
"Summer dreams torn at the seams"
"All that summer we enjoyed it"
Posted by: John White | June 29, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Why "National Governor's Association"? Is it an association for a single Governor?
My instinct was that the apostrophe was misplaced and that it should be the "National Governors' Association" but a quick visit to their site showed me they prefer not to have an apostrophe at all, which makes your insertion even more egregious.
Posted by: Gal Barnea | July 01, 2009 at 07:29 AM
John, you're right, of course: I should have made it clear that this rule pertains to U.S. English (as opposed to British English). And I LOVE all your summery suggestions!
Daniel, thank you for your close reading. I've now corrected my "egregious" error. (Ironically -- considering this tip is about referring to single entities properly -- you referred to the National Governors Association correctly as "it" but then incorrectly as "their" and "they"!)
Posted by: Dan Santow | July 01, 2009 at 05:15 PM