"The Basics" Flashcards
Difference between: who or whom
Who: humans/animals with names (subject of sentence, clause, or phrase)
Whom: when someone is the object of the verb/preposition
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. or 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Abbreviate when there are numbers
Affect vs. Effect
Affect: to influence
Effect: to cause
Held/Hold
Use only in literal sense, not for events
Ex. She held the baby
Ex. They HAD the event here
Quotation marks
Word for word comments
Comma inside end of quotation marks
Seasons
Use lowercase
Uppercase with formal name or with exact year
Ex. Summer Olympics or Fall 2018
Series of three or more
No comma before “and” when listing 3+ things.
Ex. The glass was red, white and blue.
Formal titles
(Mrs., Mr., Mrs., Miss) only in direct quotes
Otherwise, first ref.: full name, second ref.: last name
To
Use between dates, times or numerals, no hyphens.
Ex. The library is open June to August
That vs. Which
That: inanimate object/animals with no name. Essential clauses
Which: nonessential clauses
Academic degrees
Preferred to avoid abbreviation
Use apostrophes: bachelor’s, master’s (not associate degree)
Use abbreviated when addressing multiple people after a full name
Apostrophe (‘)
Shows possession
If word ends with “s” put apostrophe after it (campus’)
Died
Do not used passed away
It’s vs. its
It’s: it is
Its: possessive
Months
Capitalize them all
Spell out months with 5 letters or less
Spell out all months when used alone or with year
Ex. last December or December 2016
