Yearly Archives: 2006

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?”

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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.
The room was lighted by the flame.

Posted in usage | 22 Comments