• Know the difference
•Singular: The cat pressed the lever to escape the box.
•Plural: The cats were in a box marked, “For Sale.”
•Possessive: The cat’s ball rolled under the couch.
• Be aware of when verbs change to match the pronoun
•She .... is, was
•They or we... are, were

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*An -s or -es does not always pluralize a noun. *
Child
Singular Form
Mouse
Foot
Offspring
Formula
Datum
Stimulus
Index
Hypothesis
Criterion
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Children
Mice
Feet
Plural Form
Offspring
Formulae
Data
Stimuli
Indices
Hypotheses
Criteria

Do Not Use Them, Ever!
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Don’t
Can’t
We’ll
Aren’t
Let’s
I’m
You’d
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Do not
Can not
We will
Are not
Let us
I am
You would

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They’re, There, and Their
– They’re going to the store this afternoon.
(contraction = they are)
– I just returned from Dublin, have you ever been there? (place, direction)
– Their house is white with blue shutters.
(possession)
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To, Too, and Two
– Kent is moving to Massachusetts.
– I want to go too.
– He is taking his two dogs with him.

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It’s and Its
– It’s Jake’s birthday today. (It is)
– Its hair was matted and mangled. (possession)
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Whether and Weather
– It does not matter whether or not Mandy stays for dinner.
– The weather is supposed to be cold and damp.
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Then and Than
– Men are more likely than women to watch UFC.
– The students were instructed to clear their desks then begin the examination.

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Who vs. Whom
– Who is the person with the white lab coat?
– With whom did you leave the key?
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Who vs. That
– Individuals who study, often find exams to be easy.
– Companies that give employees better benefits have higher productivity.
– The vase that broke is in the cardboard box.
– Times when..., Places where...
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Affect vs. Effect
– Psychology students often learn about the Hawthorne effect.
– Amy wants study how energy-drinks affect performance and cognitive ability.

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Each statement must be able to stand alone and still be grammatically correct.
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The student is required to read 30 pages of text, write a report, and memorize a list of vocabulary words.
– to read
– to write
– to memorize

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Since vs. Because
– Andrew has been excited about going to the zoo since last
Thursday.
– The dog salivated because Pavlov rang the bell.
While vs. Although
– Although I enjoy watching baseball on television, I would rather be at the stadium.
– While Jack cleaned the garage, Mary dusted the living room.
Or vs. Nor
– The girl was allowed to have either a piece of candy or a sticker.
– Neither the doctor nor the nurse could find the patient’s chart.

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Do not use “You” to refer to the reader.
Do not use “We” to refer to general groups or society.
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Use “One”
– If one chooses to engage in criminal activity, then one must be ready to accept the consequences.
– One should not equate correlation with causation.

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Do not write as you would speak
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Do not use phrases or words such as:
– Cop (police officer)
– The merchandise was hot (stolen)
– Gonna (going to)
– Ain’t (are not)
– Put a damper in things (complicated)

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Do not give human traits or abilities to inanimate or non-human objects/creatures.
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Do not write
– The article shows...
 Instead try...Deci and Ryan indicate
– The research explains...
 Instead...Pavlov explains

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One must be conscientious of how individuals and groups are identified.
– Do not over generalize
– Gender bias
– Racial/Ethnicity bias
– Mental health or disability status
– Age