pronouns,
pronouns: reflexive
"There are many parallels between my son and I. We both wear diapers. I don't have a problem, but I'm too lazy to go to the bathroom. It saves me time." - Will Ferrell, in In Touch Weekly
Will has incorrectly used a subjective pronoun as the object of a preposition. This particular error, which involves the preposition "between" and a first person singular pronoun, is quite common; it is important to recognize this error because it often appears in questions on standardized examinations.
In the first sentence of Will's statement, the preposition "between" has a compound object: "my son and I." To understand the nature of this error, replace the preposition with one that does not require two objects and pair …
tedious
"The writers needed a big finale, and they didn't know what to do with Marissa anymore; she'd been through pretty much everything. I mean, I worked tediously for those three years and my character did a lot." - Mischa Barton, in Teen Vogue, on her departure from The O.C.
Mischa has not made an error, but she has made an interesting choice of words.
The adjective "tedious" means "overly dull, slow, or boring; monotonous," and the adverb "tediously" means "in a dull, slow, or boring manner; monotonously." Mischa says she "worked tediously," which means that she performed her role as Melissa in a dull, slow, or boring manner for three years. Mischa probably did not intend to characterize her own approach to …
parallelism
"I want to be loved, happy, and not settle for something less than we all deserve." - Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer has made an error in parallelism. She has listed three items that follow the infinitive "to be," but two are adjectives and one is an infinitive phrase. Similar items in a series should be structured in a similar way.
These are the things Jennifer wants:
to be loved [The word "loved" is a participle; it is a verb form that functions as an adjective. The infinitive phrase "to be loved" makes sense.]
(to be) happy [The word "happy" is an adjective. The infinitive "to be" is implied and the entire phrase "(to be) happy" makes sense.]
(to be) not (to) settle for something less …
adjectives,
adverbs,
modifier confusion
"If I hit a bad shot, people five fairways away know it because I'm yelling [his favorite curse word], but if I hit a good shot, I'm yelling too. Everybody knows the difference in the yelling. Either Sam is playing well, or he's playing bad." - Samuel L. Jackson, in People, about his behavior on the golf course
Samuel has made an error in modifier confusion: he has used an adjective to modify a verb. Only an adverb can modify a verb.
In the last sentence, the second instance of the verb "playing" is modified by the adjective "bad." This is incorrect because an adjective cannot modify a verb. To correct the error, replace the adjective with an adverb.
"Either Sam is …
who+whom
"I went for my annual mammogram - I've been getting them yearly since I was 35 - and [the doctor] saw new calcifications. I wasn't nervous about it, so when they told me to come back in six months, I left the clinic. Three hours later, my ob-gyn, whom I've been seeing for years, called and said, 'I never recommend waiting six months for anything.' She set me up with an oncologist, and two days later I had the needle biopsy done." - Sheryl Crow, in Glamour, on her breast cancer diagnosis
Sheryl has correctly used an objective relative pronoun as the direct object of an adjective clause. Way to go, Sheryl!
In the adjective clause "whom I've been seeing for years," the subject is "I," the verb is "have been seeing," and the direct object is the objective relative pronoun "whom."
A common error is the use of the subjective relative pronoun "who" in an objective role in a sentence. If Sheryl had used the adjective clause "who I've been seeing for years," she would have made such an error.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of the error Sheryl did not make in the quote.
one of the,
relative pronouns,
subject+verb agreement,
syntax
"I'm one of those people who dresses according to my mood." - Mischa Barton, in In Touch
Mischa has made an error in subject/verb agreement. She has also used awkward syntax.
A common error in sentences that contain "one of" is the use of a plural noun paired with a singular verb. In Mischa's statement, many people are dressing so the pronoun "who" refers to the plural "people." The verb should be the plural "dress."
Rearranging the words in the quote results in awkward language, but it highlights the error:
- Of those people who dresses according to my mood, I am one.
The rearranged syntax underscores Mischa's awkward syntax. She uses the pronoun "my" to refer to the mood that dictates how people dress. …
case,
pronouns,
who+whom
"Fatherhood only changes you if you allow it to change you. I kind of avoided changing me for a while. I just know that I have somebody who, for the first time in my life, I'm in love with, and it's going to last." - Colin Farrell, in OK Magazine
Colin has made two pronoun errors. He has also used a colloquialism that is considered to be an error by the writers of standardized examinations.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
colloquial,
pronoun antecedent agreement
"I have, like, huge enclosed cages all around in the backyard everywhere, so everyone has, like, their own space." - Paris Hilton, describing her collection of animals
This quote contains a redundancy, an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement, and two instances of superfluous colloquialisms.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
Proper diction requires an understanding of words and terms in context. Understanding diction errors can make it easier to identify and avoid them.
"I shaved my head when I was 17. I sold it for $500 to a famous Broadway wigmaker. My mother and my brother were so thrilled because my hair had always been so greasy and I always wore it in my face." - Chloe Sevigny, in US Weekly
Chloe has made a confusing statement. She has used a pronoun without clearly stating its antecedent. While it is easy to infer the meaning of her statement, it is instructive to examine this quote to illustrate the importance of clearly defining antecedents when using pronouns.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
parallelism,
pronouns,
who+that
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly misused. Understanding grammar errors can make them easier to identify and avoid.
"I was not the kind of artist that had my mommy hold my hand and my daddy managing my career." - Christina Aguilera in GQ
This sentence contains two errors: an error in pronoun choice and an error in parallelism.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of errors in the quote.
adjectives,
adverbs,
modifier confusion
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are misused.
"I sing to myself and my sister looks at me weird." - Dakota Fanning in BOP
This quote contains an error in modifier form.
Dakota used an adjective to modify a verb, and only adverbs can modify verbs.
"Weird" is an adjective used, in this sentence, to describe how Dakota's sister looks at her. Since "looks" is a verb, an adverb should modify this action. Change "weird" to "weirdly."
"I sing to myself and my sister looks at me weirdly."
Note that the verb "look" can function either as an action verb, as in this sentence, or as a linking verb. A linking verb can connect a subject with an …
pronouns,
subject+verb agreement
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly misused.
"There's only two people in the world you should lie to: the police and your girlfriend." - Jack Nicholson in In Touch Weekly
This sentence contains an error in subject/verb agreement and an error in diction.
The subject in this sentence is "two people," which is plural. The verb (the contraction form of "is") is singular. Change the number of the verb to plural ("are") to correct this error in agreement.
Jack refers to two people in this quote. However, while "your girlfriend" is a person, "the police" is not a person. "The police" is a group of people. "Police" is a special kind of collective noun, …
pronouns,
who+that
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly confused.
"I always thought I'd be that girl that lives with no regrets. I have regrets." - Courtney Love
Courtney has used an incorrect relative pronoun.
In the noun phrase "girl that lives with no regrets," the relative pronoun "that" refers to "girl." This is incorrect because "that" should be used to refer only to animals and things. The subjective relative pronoun "who" should be used to refer to a person.
This version of Courtney's statement corrects the pronoun error:
"I always thought I'd be that girl who lives with no regrets."
Note: In the first instance of "that," the word is a demonstrative adjective modifying "girl."
faulty comparisons
"She has more fun than anyone I know on this planet. She's pure passion, that girl." - Hugh Jackman, in People, about his wife Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh has made a type of faulty comparison that is commonly found in questions on standardized examinations. The comparison in the first sentence is between "she" (his wife) and "anyone I know on this planet." The literal interpretation of Hugh's statement is that his wife does not live on this planet because comparing her to a group of people excludes her from the group.
To make a logical comparison, insert "else" into Hugh's sentence:
"She has more fun than anyone else I know on this planet."
This syntax creates a comparison between Hugh's wife and anyone else …
double negative
"I was trying to submerge myself in everything - the culture, the food, the coffee shops, everything - and the people were really helpful to me. They really were supportive of the movie. I didn't really meet hardly anyone who wasn't supportive of the film." - Forest Whitaker, on the people of Uganda's reaction to the production of The Last King of Scotland
Forest has used a double negative in the last sentence of his statement. While this type of construction is common in colloquial speech, it often appears in questions on standardized examinations with the expectation that it will be recognized as an error.
The phrase "didn't really meet hardly anyone" contains a negative (the contracted form of "not") that …
pronouns,
pronouns: reflexive
"What luxury item would I take to a desert island? A mirror. It's true. I'd miss me." - Simon Cowell, in In Touch
Simon has used an incorrect pronoun. He chose the pronoun "me" to refer to the subject "I." When the subject and the object in a sentence are the same, a reflexive pronoun should be used. Since the subject is in the first person, the proper pronoun to use in this case is "myself."
This version of Simon's quote features a reflexive pronoun that refers to the first person subject:
"I'd miss myself."
lay+lie
"I remember lying in bed, thinking I wanted to die on the spot. I would say, 'Please don't let me wake up. I can't face another day.'" - Alec Baldwin, about how he felt about living with his ex-wife Kim Basinger
Alec has avoided a very common error in diction. The verbs "lay" and "lie" are commonly confused, but Alec correctly chose to use the present participle of the intransitive verb "lie" ("lying") to express that he was reclining in bed. Alec did not say, "I remember laying in bed," which would have been incorrect because "lay" is a transitive verb that means "to place."
Very nice, Alec!
nouns
"It is obvious to me that there is an overwhelming amount of women, of actors I look at, and they're too thin for my taste." - Scarlett Johansson, on the pressure in Hollywood for women to stay exceedingly slim
Scarlett has made an error in diction. She has used "amount" in place of "number."
The word "amount" is used to quantify nouns that are uncountable. Since "women" is a countable noun, the correct word to use is "number."
This version of Scarlett's statement corrects the error:
"It is obvious to me that there is an overwhelming number of women, of actors I look at, and they're too thin for my taste."
faulty comparisons
"I’ve always mixed with people older than me. I’m often told I appeal to older men more than guys my own age, and I think that’s pretty cool. Older men understand women more. They usually have better taste." - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett has made an error that is very common in informal speech and writing: she has used an objective pronoun in place of a subjective pronoun in an elliptical clause. She has also made a confusing comparison.
An ellipsis is the omission of one or more words that are not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. However, the missing words must be kept in mind when determining the proper grammatical structure of the sentence.
When “as” or “than” is used …
parallelism
"According to him, I have a lazy eye, a huge ear and my feet are completely deformed because of dancing." - Penelope Cruz, in People, on her brother Eduardo's list of her shortcomings
Penelope has made an error in parallelism. She has listed three things about herself, but two are noun phrases and one is an independent clause. Items in a list should have the same structure.
This is the list of what Eduardo thinks is wrong with Penelope:
a lazy eye [This is a noun phrase: the noun "eye" is modified by the adjective "lazy."]
a huge ear [This is a noun phrase: the noun "ear" is modified by the adjective "huge."]
my feet are completely deformed because of dancing [This is an …
misplaced modifiers
"Mexicans and in particular Latinos in general contribute an enormous amount to this country, and I think it's insulting to threaten deportation. The most honorable thing you can do with your life is support your family, and that's what most of these people are doing." - Eva Longoria, about her support of Hispanic protests against proposed US immigration policy changes
Eva has misplaced a modifier to create a conflicting statement.
She refers to "Mexicans and in particular Latinos in general," a noun phrase that contains two modifiers: "in particular" and "in general." However, the modifier "in particular" immediately precedes "Latinos" and appears to modify this noun, while the modifier "in general" immediately follows "Latinos" and appears to modify …
pronouns
“I was talking to a fan and she told me how her and her husband always sit down to have dinner together and watch the show and hold hands. It wasn’t until the end of the conversation that I realized that the woman’s husband was dead.” - Jennifer Love Hewitt, on the impact of her show, Ghost Whisperer
Jennifer has made an error in pronoun case. She has used the pronoun "her," which can be either objective or possessive, as the subject of a clause.
In the clause "her and her husband always sit down," the subject is "her and her husband." Separate the two parts of the subject and change the number of the verb to test the case …
subject+verb agreement
"It was interesting doing that scene with Josh but it wasn't particularly romantic. Shooting these sorts of scenes often end up being more funny than anything else." - Scarlett Johansson, about filming an intimate scene with Josh Hartnett in Black Dahlia
Scarlett has made an error in subject/verb agreement. The subject of the second sentence is the gerund phrase "shooting these sorts of scenes," which is singular. The plural part of the phrase ("these sorts of scenes") is the object of the singular gerund "shooting." The singular subject does not agree in number with the plural verb phrase "end up." To correct the error, change the number of the verb to singular.
"Shooting these sorts of scenes often ends up …
pronouns,
pronouns: reflexive
"For now, it's just nice for me to get back down to where I feel more comfortable with me." - Janet Jackson, on her recent weight loss
This quote contains an error in pronoun choice. In the adverb clause "where I feel more comfortable with me," Janet uses the pronoun "me" to refer back to the subject "I." When the subject and the object (or, as in this case, the object of the prepositional phrase that refers back to the subject) in a sentence are the same, a reflexive pronoun should be used. Since the subject is in the first person, the proper pronoun to use in this case is "myself."
This version of Janet's statement corrects the pronoun error:
"For …
