Some Common Confusions
1. A, an, or the, which do I use?
A, an, and the, are called articles, although they can also be modifiers, which
function as adjectives.
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The use of the v. a is not so much of a problem, as long as you remember that
The tree is a specific tree, in other words, the actual tree you are discussing.
A tree could be any tree in the forest, or for that matter, any tree at all.
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The use of a v. an can be ruled as follows: a is used before a word beginning
with a consonant, while an is used before a vowel.
However, there are some other considerations to take into account when deciding which
to use. The sound of the word being modified, for example:
An umbrella (Umbrella begins with a vowel sound, so an is used.
A uniform (The u has the sound of y, so uniform begins with a consonant sound.
Therefore, a is used.)
An honest man (Honest begins with a silent h, so the vowel sound of o is the first
sound you hear. Therefore, an is used.)
A horse (Horse begins with the sound of the consonant h, therefore a is used.)
2. Who or that – people are not objects.
A person is not a thing. When referring to a person, use who, whom. Or the correct
personal pronoun, such as he, she, etc.
The person that wrote Frankenstein was mentally disturbed. (INCORRECT)
The person who wrote Frankenstein was mentally disturbed. (CORRECT)
3. Who and whom – subject versus object.
The person performing the action in a sentence is the subject (who), while the person
on the receiving end of the action is the object (whom).
Whom did you say was calling? (INCORRECT)
Who did you say was calling? (CORRECT) Who is the subject of was.
Whom did you call? (CORRECT) Whom is the object of call. You is the subject.
Who called? (CORRECT) Who is the subject of called.
4. Double Negatives
If you’ve take a mathematics class recently, you might remember that an equation
multiplying two negatives = a positive, i.e. -3 x -3 =6. The same rule applies here.
They don’t have no reason to go there. (INCORRECT)
They don’t have any reason to go there. (CORRECT)
The students did not have no homework. (INCORRECT)
The students did not have any homework. (CORRECT) or
The students had no homework. (CORRECT)
Note: Read the sentence over carefully. You will see the two negatives cancel each
other out. Sometimes you may have to re-structure your sentence to make it work.
The rules of grammar can be confusing, but these tips should help you
avoid some of the more common errors. Remember that when in doubt,
ask your instructor, a tutor, or refer to a grammar manual. Reference and
grammar manuals are available in the RG Library or the RG Writing Center.