Writing Guide
Welcome! I created the writing guide to help people find answers to their questions about the English language—grammar, punctuation, spelling, rhetoric, and so on.
If you have a question about an article, you may post a comment below the article. I will try to reply with another comment as soon as I can.
who versus that
October 10, 2006
Someone recently sent me an email asking about the proper use of who and that:
When followed by a verb, how does one know when to say "who" and when to say "that"? Ex: The lady that jumped on the couch or The lady who jumped on the couch?
I prefer to use who when referring to people, but that is merely a preference. My favorite online source for such usage questions, The American Heritage Book of English Usage, explains:
that instead of who
The man that wanted to talk to you just called back. Some people say that you can only use who and not that to introduce a restrictive relative clause that identifies a person. But that has been used in this way for centuries. It is a quintessential English usage, going back to the Old English period, and has been used by our best writers. So it is entirely acceptable to write either the man that wanted to talk to you or the man who wanted to talk to you.
You can read more about such pronoun issues in The American Heritage Book of English Usage at bartleby.com
lit and lighted
February 10, 2006
I just got a very nice note from Andrew, who asked a good usage question: Hi! I love reading your answers to the grammar questions. Recently, I got into a debate about 'lit' versus 'lighted'. I lit a match. I lighted a candle. The room was lit by the flame. … Read More
Hanged or Hung
December 4, 2005
Here is one of the many questions I've received recently: I was reading a story in the paper and the writer wrote "He hanged himself." My coworkers and I thought it should be, "He hung himself." Are we all wrong or is the journalist? Here is my answer: I'm sorry … Read More
Toward or Towards
September 22, 2005
Someone recently wrote in with the following question: I was recently reading a book that used the word "towards" many times. I have always said, "I went toward the lake." But, in this book the author wrote several sentences such as, "I went towards the lake." The author is a … Read More
historic and historical
September 22, 2005
"The question concerns the appropriate use of the words historic and historical. When is one prefered over the other?" This is a great question, for which the American Heritage Book of English Usage has an excellent answer: Historic and historical have different usages though their senses overlap. Historic refers to … Read More
To and Too
September 21, 2005
Question: When do I use "to" or "too"? Example: too difficult or to stay Answer: The word too has two common meanings: (1) "also" or "besides" and (2) "excessively." Sometimes people use it informally to mean (3) "very." Examples of "too" Jane would like some ice cream, too. I, too, … Read More
