Tricky Grammar and Language Use
Examples included here represent some of the problems we see most frequently. Consult a standard grammar or writing guide for detailed explanations of these issues and others.
Collective Nouns
Many words—including faculty, committee, staff, board, team, class, public, group, e-mail, and data —can be both singular and plural. The choice of a singular or plural verb depends on whether the writer intends to refer to the group as a whole or to the members of the group. For clarity, it helps to add members of.
- The largest group of pleasure travelers is composed of people between the ages of 55 and 64. As this group [of individuals] continues to grow because of the aging population, their importance to wineries will become critical. This group has the most discretionary income, many [members of the group] are retired with time on their hands, and they generally take longer trips than people in other age groups.
- The staff is committed to holding regular office hours. Some faculty [members] are even holding weekend and evening office hours.
- When faculty in our department gather for monthly meetings, they usually arrive on time, but there are always a couple of stragglers.
- The faculty of our department is highly respected in international professional circles. OR The faculty in our department are highly respected. (It depends on whether you want to emphasize the group as a whole or the individuals in the group. Sometimes it matters; sometimes it doesn’t.)
- Official CU-Boulder e-mail is sent to students on a regular basis.
Miscellaneous Tricksters
- Between you and me.
- It is I. (Necessary only in formal, written prose.)
- The person who answered the phone was the receptionist. (Who is the subject.)
- The person whom we hired has exceptional qualifications. (Whom is the object of the verb.)
Prepositions at the End of Sentences
Most grammar books have done away with the rule that forced people into saying and writing the most convoluted sentences when, in fact, it’s often better to let the preposition fall naturally. Normal rules of good writing apply, of course. If meaning, clarity, and emphasis are improved by ending a sentence with a preposition, do so. If a preposition at the end results in clumsy syntax or confused meaning, rewrite the sentence. Some good examples, from the stylistically conservative Theodore M. Bernstein (The Careful Writer) include the following:
- Where did the quoted material come from?
- It’s nothing to sneeze at.
- You don’t know what I’ve been through.
Split Infinitives
We have no problem with split infinitives. The same reasoning applies here as to prepositions at the end of sentences. The most fundamental reason for allowing them is clarity of meaning (as in the first example below). A more theoretical reason is that, because English is the only language in which the infinitive can be split, grammarians somewhere in the 17th or 18th century decided that English infinitives should follow the rule of “unsplit infinitives” that is logical in other languages. That said, a sentence is easier to understand if you don’t split the to and the verb with a lengthy phrase (as in the second example).
- GOOD: Analysts expect enrollment in distance learning courses to more than double in the next five years.
- POOR: If you expect to, within the final week of regularly scheduled classes, introduce five new theories, students are unlikely to understand and remember them.
That/Which
That defines and restricts; which does not. The way to tell which one you need is that, if you are using which properly, you’ll usually need to precede it with a comma. (Note that the previous sentence provides an example of an exception to the rule.)
- The story that was printed last night is inaccurate; this morning’s version is correct.
- The story, which appeared on the front page, has been proven to be inaccurate.
“That which,” you may mutter in exasperation as your editor changes your use of which to that. Although the difference isn’t as important in speaking, careful writers still observe the distinction between these two words.