The One You've Been Waiting For...

Yep, this is the one. You've been biting your nails and twisting your hands just itching to discover the answers to these stumpers. Yes, you have. Yes, you have. Don't pretend. Well, here they are...grammar errors.

Ah, grammar. We all use it. Some more prominently than others, grant you. And some better than others, I know. But why not let's all improve, eh? So, here's the common ones I'm asked most about, the ones I see most often in manuscripts, hear in everyday conversation, cringe at (but not openly) during parties and, most especially, wherever alcohol is involved. (Raise your glass).

And you never know...you might just find learning something new is fun. And palatable to your inner grammarian.

Or you can just humor me.

1. Who vs. Whom: In a nutshell, one is the nominative case (who) and one is the objective case (whom). But forget all that. Here's the easiest way to know: substitute a personal pronoun. If 2nd person (he, she, they) fits, use who. If 3rd person (him, her, them) fits, use whom. Examples? 
• You wrote the letter to whom? (to her)
• The boy, who is a junior, plays basketball. (he plays basketball)

     2.  Good vs. Well: If you need an adverb, you need well. If you need an adjective, you need good.
          Adverbs, you might recall, describe or modify verbs while adjectives do the same job for nouns. Easy 
          enough, right? In that case, you'd play the piano well and enjoy a good day at the park. Funny how
          well only sounds right when we use it "right", but good - not so much. Hence, why we proclaim, "She
          sure sings good!" Grimace and groan.
 
     3.  It's vs. Its: Well, this one's just poor spelling, see. It's is the contraction "it is": you need an 
          apostrophe to show it as such. Its is possessive, so no apostrophe. "It's raining" versus "The dog lost 
          its collar."

     4. What's Dangling? If you hear the terms dangling modifier or dangling participle, don't check your fly.
         Not that kind of dangling. A modifier is a "describer," and it dangles if it's not located next to what it's
         modifying in your sentence. Huh? Here's the breakdown:

• At the age of five, his father died.  (You just said the father died when he was 5. You mean the father died when his son was 5).
• Hidden in the depths of the pantry, I found the coveted Snickers bars. (You've got issues if you're hiding in the pantry, but since that's what you said...Don't you mean the Snickers were hiding?)

     5.  Went vs. Gone: Here's the bad: "We could of went to the diner instead!" Here's the good: "We could
          have gone to the diner instead!" Just for kicks, I threw in the good 'ol "could of"...note to self: that    
          doesn't exist. Always use have.

     6.  There's no such word as irregardless. Not a word. Regardless. Or forget it altogether. Other 
          offenders? Alot. Anyways. Whenever (I'll explain). And don't forget everhow. Now three of these are 
          easy fixes: a lot (two words); anyway; and however. But use "when" correctly: "When I went to the
          store" not "Whenever I went to the store." When tells time. Let it do its job. Please?

So, do I sometimes talk bad? Yep, some days I think my language could of went better. But then I remember that there's always room for slang, urban-speak, and the loose lips that never sink ships when you're hanging with the ones you love. Irregardless, its never a bad idea to strengthen everyday skills because as writers (whom know best) will tell you: To say it clear and true, the words will have to do.

Uh-huh.