Grammar: Among vs Between

I was reading The Spectrum Newspaper a few months ago and found that in the headline there was a common grammar mistake that definitely should have been caught with editing. For this week I decided to post the rule and hopefully remind those out there that there is a rule when using the words among and between. One would think that they are interchangeable, but in reality they are separate.

The word "Among" should be used when discussing or comparing three or more ob ejects.
An example would be:
"She had to choose among grape, cherry, and lime."
Most commonly it is misused to compare two objects.

On the other hand, the word "between" should be utilized when comparing any two objects. It will commonly be associated with words such as two, twice, and twin.
An example would be:
"We shuttled between New York and Washington DC."
Another more common sense rule to be paired with the word "between" is the fact that it should be followed by the word "and." Often times the a mistake will happen when the word "to" follows and this is wrong grammatically.
The follow example illustrates this:
"We shuttled between New York to Washington DC."
The only instance the word "to" should be used is when it is preceded by the word "from."

Just a good little note to remember when doing academic writing. It will add to authority of your work if you use correct grammar. For more info click here:)

Writing Prompt: Must Everything Be a Debate?

This week's assignment was quite an interesting read that I enjoyed. I never got into debate in high school, but I have been exposed to in through leadership conferences and youth government trainings. I will never forget a debate I witnessed between two girls about college acceptance and quotas that must be met for different ethnicities. Their polite debate soon escalated to a full out brawl with yelling and crying. I know this may seem like a strong, exaggerated example of what can happen in heated argument, but after reading through Tannen's article about debate i feel that she was making a profound point that applies to this story. When people only allow themselves to see their own situation, they miss out on many other perspectives. These two girls were so set in their ways they didn't stop to think of the other persons situation. Debate can bring many good points, but there must be some compromise on both parts if debate is going to be beneficial to anyone. I like the idea of being able to share one's opinion, but there is a point when one must listen to anther's. I like the part in this essay where Tennan talks about looking at things through not only two cultural perspectives, but through many. This is the point I derived from this essay. She is clearly a gifted academic writer.

Grammar: Numbers, Dollar Signs, and Percentages

I currently work for an Investment Advisory Firm here in St. George. I am the receptionist and I am often called upon to type and mail letters, or proofread things before they enter the mail to our clients. Recently my company sent out a quarterly newsletter about the Economy and everyone in the office was asked to participate and help correct. In the midst of our work, a few of my co-workers asked the question about when it was appropriate to use number, a dollar sign, or a percent sign verse spelling the out. After doing some research I now know the correct answer and will gladly share my spoils with you.

Using numbers is a pretty common and not so complex rule which most people understand on the surface.
1. Spell out the numbers one through ten. Use numeric digits for 11 and higher.
This is easy to do, but sometimes harder to remember. Make sure to reread your drafts carefully to avoid making mistakes in the future.

Expressions about money and percent usually appear in academic writing as statistics or resources. By applying the number rule to money.... add the dollar sign ($) and comma if the amount is greater than 10.
2. Use dollar signs and commas where appropriate.
The percent sign follows the same rule. If the number is greater than 10 add the percent sign (%) otherwise, it is correct to spell out "percent."
3. Use the percent symbol when using numeric digits.

If you need more clearity on the rules or just want to see examples click here.

Writing Prompt: Rhetoric

The rhetoric used in writing is key to the interpretation and voice of a writer. This week I have been asked to look at two separate pieces of writing and determine the components of rhetoric that contribute to both. Rhetoric is the concepts in which a writer can relate to and arouse the audience. By appealing to the credibility of the facts which is known as "Ethos", the emotion of human life related to the word "Pathos", and lastly appealing to logical thinking which is referred to as "Logos."

In an excerpt of writing from John Gatto entitled Against School, John begins by catching the readers attention with a Pathos effect. He talks about being a school teacher for 30 years, which is also an Ethos rhetoric, and noticing that students often become board in school. Almost every person can relate to being board in school setting. Whether in an actual class room, listening to mom and dad give lectures, this educational point appeals to every reader. Continuing John applies a Logos rhetoric by going over his ideas and trying to persuade the audience to question their thoughts about schooling and the need for the public education system which America has built. He uses simple, yet strong language throughout this document to invoke thought.

The next piece of writing I will analyze was written by Mike Rose. After reading the whole article, it was apparent to me that Rose chose to use great detail and appeal to the writers senses through Pathos rhetoric. It was amazing to me how Rose explained his situation well enough to keep me interested, make me feel anger at those who treated him badly, and yet want to be observant like him. I also found a few hints of Logos in Mike's writing. He was able to logically explain about his situation as a student and I could relate to the thought of "Why work hard in a class that didn't grab my fancy?" Overall the rhetoric used in this writing made it both an enjoyable and a learning experience.

Grammar: Exclaim Through Exclamation Marks!!!!!!!!

I blame this common grammar error on the causual conversations one can have via texting, Email and instant messaging. Thinking back to early elementary years, exclamation marks were the coolest thing. It was a rare and great opportunity when one had something to exclaim to the world. Now, as people have more outlets for expression, exclamation marks are used and abused. For this weeks grammar "spot light" I wanted to cover the actual appropriate use of an exclamation mark.

Rule 1: Don't use an exclamation mark unless it's absolutely necessary.
It is advised that one not use an exclamation mark in formal acedemic writing. The follow example shows how inappropraite a simple puncuation can be in ones writing.
"In 1848, gold was discovered in California!"
Avoid this altogether if you would like to be taken seriously in your writing.

Rule 2: Use an exclamation mark after an exclamation, especially after one beginning with "what" or "how."
It is proper to use exclaimation marks after statements not sentences. As the follow example shows, exclaimation marks can add needed enthusiams to a statement such as in novels or narrative writing.
"What a lovely view you have here!"

These are just a few simple guidelines that will help to recover the significance of the exclamation! :) For more info click here.

Michael Moore: The Real Idiot

Wow. I am grateful for the warning I received before reading an article written by Michael Moore entitled "Idiot Nation." Normally I am very tolerant of others' ideas but, after reading Moore's writing, I feel like hitting something! Moore's style is meant to be offensive and controversial I understand this and hate to admit it had an affect on me.

Moore writes with a sarcasm and voice I have not previously seen. He somehow believes that he, on his own, is an authority on every subject. There were no references or given sources included in this work, just his opinion alone. I find this very interesting and the root of the disagreement and controversy involved in his writing.


Another point to recognize in Moore's writing, is the fact that he is full of criticism and no solutions. He rags on the education system, politicians, and other influential people, from the comfort of chair, pen and paper. He pretends to understand situations he has no experience with. For example, Michael Moore will never have the responsibility of being President of the United States of America. Thus he will never comprehend the reasoning behind certain critical decisions made by previous presidents. On a personal note, I appreciate former President George W. Bush. He is an honorable man that lead this country well and the way that Michael Moore portrays him, is inaccurate and ultimately wrong.

I would only ever recommend this article to a person needing a rise in blood pressure because the only positive that I received from this reading was added color to my face. :)

Grammar: Subject-Verb Disagreement

I love living in Utah. It is a wonderful place full of good people. One of the draw backs however is the way that people talk. Not that I don't love a little country flair, but sometimes I find,in my writing, that my subject-verb structure is not correct. I am not sure if it is the fact that I have "Utah ear" or that I just never grasped the concept when I was younger, but I could definitely use some improvement in my "subject-verb relationships."

There are two types of disagreements between subjects and verbs. The first one is obvious and is mainly avoidable. This error is based on the rule that verbs must agree with subjects in number. A poor example of this would be the common "it don't" phrase. The problem here is that "it" is singular and "don't" is plural.

The more complex form of disagreement occurs when a noun interferes between the subject and the verb in pronunciation. This mistake is not often apparent to writers or readers unless they are searching for this specific error. An example of correctly following this rule is the following sentence:
"Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, presents a formidable opponent on the basketball court."

Don't get confused. If you follow these simple rules even living in Utah can't stop you from having subject-verb agreements.For a list of other rules and hints please click here.