Physics 596

Dr. Herbst

GRAMMAR I

Is grammar important? If taken to an extreme, it can be self-defeating. One worries so

much about every sentence that the document can never be written. But, some grammar is really
necessary for clarity, and some people can be offended by really rank constructions. What follows is

mainly a list of misused words, expressions, and constructions. These problems are to be avoided

in your papers.

1. Incomplete Sentences

a) Because physics is interesting! b) The right stuff!

a) is just a fragment (technically a dependent clause), while b) has no verb at all.

Such constructions have become common in advertising and journalism, but should be

avoided if you wish to pass the course.

2. Run-on Sentences/Comma Splices

a) My professor is boring he is cute (run-on sentence)
b) My professor is boring, he is cure (comma splice)

Correct constructions: My professor is boring. He is cute. (choppy)

Although my professor is cute, he is boring.

My professor is cute but boring.

My professor is boring; he is cute. (The use a semi-colon is

technically correct, but the sentences are unrelated.)

The stratosphere consists mainly of neutral molecules; the ionic

abundance is very low. (Here the semi-colon works since the

sentences are related.)

3. Unclear References

a) The word “this” without a following noun leads to a lot of confusion in scientific writing.

Example: This proves that.

b) Because they are very messy, students don’t use fountain pens. (“messy” describes the

nearest noun to it, which is “students.”)

c) Loaded with gravy, the waiter brought the turkey. (known as a dangling participle

because the clause with the participle describes the near noun, which is “waiter.”)

d) Eight children were taken from an abused home. (A treasure from the Columbus

Dispatch; the adjective is not meant to describe the home.)

4. a vs. an

Use “a” when the next words starts with a consonant sound; use “an” when the next word

starts with a vowel sound.
Examples: a suit, a useful lecture, an egg, an N. M. R. experiment

5. to, two, too

The two boys went to the seashore, but went to see the mountains too.

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6. I, me

“I’ is a subject, and “me” is an object of a verb or of a preposition.

Examples: Between you and me, I cannot write English. He hits me.

7. Noun Strings

In English, an adjective is supposed to modify a noun. But there are not enough adjectives

to go around so a noun is often used in its place. Don’t overuse this construction since
meaning can be obscured; often a prepositional phrase is better.

Example: “woman killer” can mean a killer of women or a female killer

“nutrition facts” Here the meaning is clear but use of an adjective or a phrase

sounds more like English: nutritional facts, facts about nutrition

“customer service representative” If you really need such a rank construction, you

should put a hyphen between “customer” and “service” since the words used

together are a noun, here masquerading as an adjective.

Special example: the word “process” is now appended to so many nouns that it has lost

much of its meaning. Thus, one hears “the education process” instead of “education”, or

“the peace process” instead of “diplomacy,” or “the grading process” instead of “grading.”
Too many uses of the word “process” followed by another noun will lead to “the failing

process.”

8. Wrong Parts of Speech

Recently, nouns have started to appear as verbs, adverbs as nouns, etc. English usually has

enough words that you don’t have to change the part of speech.

EXAMPLE: “Transition” is a noun, but it is now being used as a verb: “He transitioned

from a speaker of English to an abuser of the language.” The verb needed here is “changed.”
EXAMPLE 2: “How New York!” Here the author means that somebody is behaving like

a typical New Yorker, but “New York” is a noun and not an adjective. “How boorish” is

fine.

9. It’s vs. Its

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is.” “Its” is the possessive of “it.”

EXAMPLE: It’s uncommon for a bird to fly without its wings.

10. Lay vs. Lie

The verb “to lay” is transitive verb, and takes a direct object. Lay it down! The verb “to lie”

is an intransitive verb, and takes no direct object. I lie down.

It is useful to conjugate these verbs, as if we were studying a foreign language. Here are the

“past” and “present perfect” tenses with the first person singular subject I. Remember that

the past tense refers solely to the past, whereas the present perfect tense refers to something

that started in the past but has continued up to the present.

To lie

to lay

Past

lay

laid

Past perfect

have lain

have laid

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11. Principal/Principle

Principal (adjective or noun) means “primary” as in “principal axes” or “school principal”

Principle (noun) means a rule of conduct or a scientific law, as in the “principle of
relativity.”

In research grants, the principal investigator is labeled the P. I. Is principle investigator wrong?

12. Who/Whom

“Who” and “whom” are relative pronouns. “Who” is a subject while “whom” is an object.

EXAMPLES: Who dares to sleep in my class?

Whom does she strike?

For whom would you vote?

QUESTION: I don’t know who/whom is doing this mischief.

By the way, you should use “who” when you refer to people.
EXAMPLE: I am the teacher who fell asleep in his own classical mechanics class.

Try to avoid “that” even if Shakespeare used it, and make sure that

you avoid “which” for people.

I am the person which left early. I am the person that left early. Both are

wrong, although which is worse.

13. Healthy/Healthful

healthful: health-producing healthy: possessing health

Contrast “a healthy person” with “a healthful food.”

QUESTION: what about a healthy/healthful environment?

14. Assorted Pairs of Words

a) affect (verb): to influence. His sleeping affected his grade adversely.

effect (noun): result. The effect of his snoring in class was failure.

effect (verb): to accomplish. The terrorists effected a change in the state of the
country.

b) fewer (adjective): used with individual units.

Less (adjective): used with bulk quantities

After my last lecture, we have fewer students and less chalk.

c) like (preposition) He looks like a chimpanzee.

as (conjunction) As she grew older, she learned to speak.

d) led (past particle of “to lead”) sounds the same as the element lead (Pb)

e) whose: possessive form of who. I am the teacher whose students sleep.

who’s: contraction of “who is.” Who’s on first?

USAGE: “whose” should be reserved for people. This is the class in which students

write well.

f) your: possessive form of you. you’re: contraction of “you are.”
g) further: additional. The lecture will drone on until further notice.

farther: most distant. I traveled farther than he did.

h) their: possessive form of they. Their grades are very low.

they’re: contraction of “they are.” They’re very good students.

there: a place or position. I see you(r) sleeping there.