Grammar Guidelines

The proper use of "lie" and "lay"   is tough for English speakers to grasp. We get it wrong all of the time. We use forms of "lie" when we mean "lay" and forms of "lay" when we mean "lie." Lie: "to assume a horizontal position on a supporting surface" or to tell a lie. Lay: "to place on a surface." What does it mean to "conjugate?" "To give the different forms of a verb." Let's conjugate "lie" and "lay" so we can understand what form to use when speaking or writing. Conjugation of "lie:" Present                 Past (to take a horizontal position/to tell a lie) (I) lie                                lay/lied (You) lie                          lay/lied (He/She) lies                   lay/lied (We) lie                            lay/lied (They) lie                         lay/lied Participles Gerund = lying Past = lain (to take a horizont

Direct Object: a word or group of words that receives the action of the verb. Indirect Object: a noun or pronoun that specifies to whom or for whom the action is done; indirect objects come before direct objects in sentences. Examples: She threw the ball. ( "ball"  is the direct object because it is what is being thrown) She threw him the ball. ( "him"  is the indirect object because it indicates to whom the ball is being thrown)

I find it interesting how often people incorrectly use "then" and "than." I've seen and heard erroneous sentences like: "I'd rather do this then that." "Then" and "than" have completely different meanings. "Then" is used when talking about time or sequence. "Than" is used when comparing things. Correct Sentences: Jack Russell Terriers are more hyperactive than most types of dogs. My dog Chloe ran around the yard, and then she dug a hole in the flowerbed.

"A whole nother" is a commonly used phrase. It is a habit that people don't even realize they are doing. The following is an example of the phrase being used in a sentence: She is living in a whole nother world. "Nother" is not a word. To correct this error, you could use "another," "a whole other," "a completely different," "an entirely different," etc. Correct sentences: She is living in an entirely different world. She is living in another world.

"It's" or "Its?" Do they have different meanings? Yes, they do and they are misused quite a lot. "It's" is a contraction (i.e., a short version of one or two words using an apostrophe) that means "it is." "Its" is a possessive pronoun. Examples: It's going to take a lot of hard work and determination. The best thing about this car is its fuel efficiency.

Improper use of "I" and "me" seems to be a staple of reality TV. So I'm writing this post to help people understand how to use these pronouns. My hope is that I won't hear this very common mistake quite so frequently. Simply stated, "I" is used when it is the subject of the sentence or renames the subject; "me" is used when it is the object. In the example below, Sawyer and I/me are acting as the subjects of the sentence. Sawyer and ( I or me ) have been married for three years. (Tip: Cut out "Sawyer and" and see which pronoun sounds right) Correct Answer: I In this example, "she" is the subject because "she" is doing the asking. Lisa and I/me are acting as the objects. She asked Lisa and ( I or me ) to be bridesmaids at her wedding. Correct Answer: me

All sentences are made up of a subject and a verb. Of course, there may be many other components (e.g., pronouns, prepositions), but a sentence cannot exist without at least one subject and one verb. So what are subjects and verbs? A verb is the action word of the sentence (walks, paid, runs, ate, etc.). The subject is the person or thing that is doing the action. If a group of words doesn't have these two components (subject + verb), it is called a phrase (e.g., the baskets at Target). See the example below of a very simple complete sentence. Jim ran. (Jim is the subject; ran is the verb)