literally
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly confused.
A controversy surrounds the meaning of the word "literally." Its definitions include both "actually; without exaggeration or error" and "in effect; virtually."
"He was laughing so hard that he literally had a heart attack and died. The funeral is tomorrow."
In this sentence, the use of "literally" indicates that, actually and without exaggeration, he died. It provides information to avoid confusion, because the exaggeration "had a heart attack and died" is often used figuratively for emphasis.
"I was laughing so hard that I literally had a heart attack and died."
In this sense, "literally" is used figuratively to mean "virtually." This contradiction in meaning is pure hyperbole used for intensive …
among+between
Proper diction requires an understanding of words that are commonly confused.
A controversy exists among grammarians, English teachers, writers, and word enthusiasts regarding the use of the word “between” with more than two items.
Some people believe that “between” should be used only when two items are listed (”between you and me”) and “among” should be used in cases involving more than two items (”among you, me, and that other guy”).
Others believe that “between” may be used with more than one item if it does not refer to distribution: “this argument is between you, me, and that other guy” is acceptable, but “divide this between you, me, and that other guy” is not.
The writers of standardized examinations treat …
infinitives,
verbals
The term "split infinitive" refers to the placement of an adverb between "to" and the verb in an infinitive.
unique
"Unique" is an adjective with several definitions, but the original is "unlike any other." This meaning is considered to be "absolute": one is either like another or not like another; one cannot be very much like another. (One can be like another in many ways, but that goes beyond the definition of this word.) According to this definition, terms such as "very unique" and "so unique" are incorrect because they involve comparisons with an absolute adjective.
A new meaning of "unique" has developed: the definition of this word has come to include "unusual," which is not absolute and can be modified in a comparative manner. However, the writers of standardized examinations do not consider this definition to be standard American English. …
passive voice
The voice of an action verb refers to the relationship of the verb to the subject.
- When the subject performs the action, the verb is in the active voice.
Bob made a decision.
The subject is "Bob" and the verb is "made." The subject performed the action: Bob is the one who made the decision. The verb "made" is in the active voice.
- When the subject receives the action, the verb is in the passive voice.
A decision was made.
The subject is "decision" and the verb is "was made." The subject did not perform the action: the decision did not make anything. In this sentence, the subject received the action so the verb is in the passive voice.
pronouns
A grammar rule: Pronouns should agree in number with their antecedents.
One of the limitations of the English language is its lack of gender-neutral singular pronouns that refer to people. Singular pronouns are either masculine (he/him/his/himself) or feminine (she/her/herself), or they refer to things, not people (it/its/itself).
Anyone who wants to go swimming should bring their bathing suit.
This type of sentence structure is extremely common in informal speech and writing, but according to the rules of standard American English, it contains an error in pronoun/antecedent agreement.
