Thursday, May 28, 2009

Unique

Unique means that whatever is being described is the only thing of its kind. Many people will add very, truly, absolutely, or other words before unique (i.e. That painting is very unique) in an attempt to make the object being described stand out even more. However, this is grammatically incorrect. Unique does not need and should not have any other modifying word (adjective) before it. The word unique should stand alone when describing something.
  • Example: The actor portrayed Hamlet in a unique way.
Memorization tip: Remember, unique stands alone. By the nature of its definition, it is one of a kind.

Drink, Drank, Drunk

Everyone knows what drink means. The confusion comes in when figuring out when to use drank and when to use drunk (as a verb, not the other meaning mostly everyone is familiar with). It's actually pretty simple.

Drank is the simple past of drink.
  • Example: I drank two glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice this morning.
Drunk is also the past tense of drink but is only used with the verb "have."
  • Example: Instead of orange juice, I had drunk two glasses of wine and promptly felt the effects. I have drunk my way through this bottle of wine in record time.
Memorization tip: If you do not use the verb have you do not use drunk.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Irregardless

Irregardless is, in fact, not a word. As far as I can tell, it seems to be a misuse of the words regardless and irrespective. Somewhere along the line, someone probably combined the two words and it stuck.

Actually, when irregardless is broken down, it actually means the opposite of what the speaker intends. Regardless means "despite the present circumstances" or "not paying attention to the present situation." The prefix ir means "not" or "before." When ir and regardless are combined the new word, irregardless, actually means "regarding." This is the exact opposite of what the speaker means.

Since irregardless is not a word, there are no example sentences. Stick to something like this instead: I bought the shoes regardless of how they fit.

Memorization tip: Most of the time, when people say irregardless they mean regardless.

Hang vs. Hung

Hang means to suspend from above, attach to a wall, droop, or fold in a specific way.
  • Example: Will you please hang the painting four feet from the ceiling? When you finish with that, please hang the drapes over the windows.
Hung is the past tense of hang. However, hanged is also the past tense.

And therein lies the confusion. The most common mistake regarding these two past tenses comes when talking about the act of killing someone and describing the private parts of a man. Hanged is always used to describe how someone died. Hung always refers to the private parts of a man.
  • Example: The executioner hanged the criminal at midnight yesterday. (versus) He told the girl at the bar that he was her ideal man because he was well hung.
Memorization tip: The man was hanged because he was hung. With his best friend's wife he had way too much fun

Monday, May 18, 2009

To, Too, Two

Believe it or not, people mix these up on a pretty regular basis.

To
is a preposition. It generally refers to something going from one location to another. It can also mean arriving at something.
  • Examples: John is going to the store. Our profits went from $100 to $1000 in just over a month. When he broke up with her, she was driven to tears.
Too means also, as well, or in addition. It can also mean more than wanted/needed or excessive.
  • Examples: Jenny wants to go to the store too. He was driving too fast not to be pulled over by the police.
Two means the number 2.
  • I have two bottles of coke in the fridge.

There, Their, They're

There refers to a place or position, a gesture to indicate state of mind or a certain point. Other definitions exist; however, they are not necessary here because people normally do not confuse those uses with their and they're.
  • Example: The dressing room is over there. There is a place deep in my heart where I save all my love for you.
Their is possessive. It means that the object(s) being talked about belongs to two or more people collectively.
  • Example: This is their book. They invited us to their house this weekend for dinner.
They're is the contraction of they are. No more explanation should be needed.
  • Example: They're going to be late to the game because they hit traffic.
Memorization Tip: If you are not sure whether to use they're, say the sentence using they are. If it makes sense, then using they're is okay.

May vs. Can

May asks permission. It is often connected to a question.
  • Example: May I borrow your car for the weekend? Yes, you may.
Can asks about an ability.
  • Example: I bet I can make 20 free throws in a row.
Memorization tip: When asking a question the default word is may.

Its vs. It's

Its refers to the last single noun referred to.
  • Example: At the dog track today, the dog I bet on won. Its come from behind victory over the other dogs was remarkable.
It's is a contraction of it and is.
  • Example: It's about time I made to the next level in the game.
Memorization tip: When in doubt, say the sentence using "it is." If the sentence makes sense, use it's. If the sentence does not make sense, use its.

Farther vs. Further

As they relate to each other:

Farther
defines distance. It compares how far apart two things are. Most often the two things being compared are a person and an object or two people.
  • Example: After walking in the wrong direction for 20 minutes, John is now farther away from the bank than his friends.
Further means to a greater degree, a greater extent, or in addition (moreover). It is most often used when there is no notion of distance.
  • Example: I do not want to discuss this matter any further.
When discussing a metaphorical distance, both farther and further are used interchangeably.

Memorization tip: The word 'far' is in farther. Far always relates to distance. If that is the case, use farther.