Editorial Inspirations

Semicolons have two major functions in English grammar. The first function is to separate two independent clauses as in “I thought I would be able to maneuver around the deer blocking the road; I was sadly mistaken.” The second function of the semicolon is to separate items in a list that are already seperated with commas as in “During my lifetime, I have lived in San Francisco, California; New York, New York; and Chicago, Illinois.

Try It!

Locate the proper places for semicolons in the following sentences.

1. Ask me any question, I will tell you the answer.

2. The baby was crying all night the parents were not able to sleep.

3. Here is a list of famous U.S. presidents Washington, George, Kennedy, John F., and Lincoln, Abraham.

When writing lists, it is important to keep the items in each bullet parallel to one another, as this helps the reader understand the meaning of the list. Parallelism is, according to Harbrace College Handbook, “the use of corresponding grammatically equal elements in sentences and paragraphs.”

What does it mean to write parallel lists? To write parallel lists, each item in the list must have the same structure. To be parallel, each item in the list might

• start with the same part of speech (e.g., noun, verb)
• use the same verb tense (e.g., present, past, future)
• use the same voice (e.g., active or passive)
• use the same sentence type (e.g., statement, question).

Example: When I get home from work, I need to

• do laundry
• finish my homework
• clean the dishes
• wash the floor.

If the last bullet had said “and also washing the floor needs to be done,” the reader would most likely have had to re-read the sentence to understand the meaning of it in relation to the last bullet. This undesireable added attention emphasizes the error in the sentence and causes the reader to struggle to understand its meaning. Making lists parallel makes reading easier and more enjoyable.

Try It!

Write a sentence with a list of items as unparallel and difficult to comprehend as possible. Then write another sentence with a list that is parallel and grammatically correct.

Fewer refers to things that are countable. When the nouns are countable, they are plural in the sentence with “fewer.”

Example: Fewer people attended the fundraiser than we had hoped.
Example: Fewer tornadoes occurred this year.

Less refers to things that are not countable. When the nouns are not countable, they are singular in the sentence with “less.”

Example: We had less rain this year than last.
Example: Less talking would help my concentration.

Try It!

Directions: In the following sentences, determine whether fewer or less should be used.

1. There was _____ laundry to clean because some of the children were away with friends.
2. Though there are _____ houses on the market, the prices have not decreased.
3. With _____ food to make for dinner, each person needs to eat a little more conservatively tonight.
4. Each week the doctor receives more calls, but returns _____ than half.
5. There were _____ dogs in the yard today, so we used _____ dog food.

The word good is an adjective while well is an adverb answering the question how. Using the incorrect one will either change the meaning of your sentence or make you sound ignorant.

Examples
You did a good job cleaning your room.
Good describes the job.

You did the cleaning job well.
Well answers how.

You smell good.
Describes your odor, not how you smell with your nose, so follow with the adjective.

You smell well for someone who is sick.
You are actively smelling with a nose here so follow with the adverb.

When referring to health, always use well.

Examples
I do not feel well.
You do not look well.

Try It!

In the following sentences, select the appropriate word.

1. She looks (good/well) today with her new outfit.

2. I am feeling (good/well) today, a lot better than I felt yesterday.

3. How are you today? I am (good/well).

4. He did (good/well) on the test.

5. We hope to do (good/well) at the yard sale next weekend.

Today is the fifth annual National Punctuation Day! Created by newspaperman Jeff Rubin, National Punctuation Day is meant to remind people of the importance of proper punctuation for communicating clearly at school or work.

In his words, “Punctuation has been devalued by a generation of computer wizards who ask, ‘What’s the point? Nobody writes in complete sentences anymore.’ But the rules of proper punctuation haven’t changed just because of computers… Careless punctuation mistakes cost time, money, and productivity.”