Language changes with usage, however. We now hear the term daily, especially in political speeches. Finally I get it. There is a difference in active and proactive.

Active (as opposed to static or idle) means taking action or in a state of movement. But there are two types of action one can take–reactive and proactive. I learned this from my experiences a couple of years ago after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My oncologist explained that there were two treatment regimens: proactive and reactive. Reactive meant chasing the disease and trying to get ahead of it, as in advanced cancer. Proactive meant preventative treatment to keep cancer removed via surgery from returning. She further explained how proactive was easier than reactive treatment. Preventative medicine isn’t as difficult as remedial.

Fortunately we could be proactive in my treatment. I learned proactive isn’t a redundant form of active. So the next time you hear a public official speaking of proactive or reactive policy, substitute the words preventative or remedial and it will make more sense.

Most of the time your subject and verb should agree.  He lives in a cabin. An exception occurs with nouns that refer to time, distance, or measurements of money. Those plural subjects are treated as a single unit.

Two days is plenty of time to get to Phoenix.

Lying in the safe was the missing two hundred dollars.

Three cups of flour is all you need for the bread recipe.

Fifty cents isn’t enough for a soda.

Three yards of fabric seems a lot for a mini-skirt.

Who would believe in 1960 that three earth orbits was possible?

If the emphasis is on individual items, though, use the plural verb:

The hours before dinner seemed to drag for the dieters.

The raffle tickets were dropped into the bucket one at a time.

Remember to consider the sense of your subject. Are you using it in the singular sense or the plural?

Happy new year and happy writing!

Although you may see variations, the contraction of you and all (translated=all of you) is y’all. Don’t be misled by other spellings, such as ya’ll (ya’ll only makes sense if the writer means ya and all, which is the colloquial of the colloquial).

The idea that y’all is singular and all y’all is plural is a myth. If you hear this either the speaker doesn’t understand the meaning of y’all as the contraction of you and all or the speaker is ridiculing southerners. Singular is you, same as anywhere else. Y’all is plural.

As supporting documentation, I have a sweatshirt, a gift from my parents, that reads “Merry Christmas, Y’all.” They purchased the garment at Cracker Barrel. If Cracker Barrel isn’t the definitive southern and country authority, I don’t know what is!

So y’all have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. The Grammar Cop will be back next year with more grammar tips.

• “The blizzard affected Jeff’s goggles, causing them to mist.”
• “Working in England affected Josh’s American accent.”

• “Jeff complained about the effect the blizzard had on his goggles.”
• “We were all puzzled by the effect Josh’s trip had on his accent.”

• “The principal concern right now is the school’s budget.”

• “The eminent governor downplayed the praise from her audience before she spoke about the state’s pressing issues.”

• “The weather forecaster said to anticipate the imminent arrival of thunderstorms throughout the week.”

Me and Ronda are going to Italy.
Ronda and I are going to Italy.

Obviously, the second sentence is the grammatically acceptable one. The objective case, however, often trips up writers. For instance, which of the following sentences is correct?

She slid into the booth across from Stan and I.
She slid into the booth across from Stan and me.

If you picked the second sentence, you are correct. Often we overthink grammar and make it more difficult than necessary. The pronoun is the object of the preposition from and is the objective case, me.

When in doubt which case to use, break down your sentence and figure out the pronoun’s role. Is it the object of a verb or preposition or is it the subject? Answer that question and you’ll know which pronoun to use.

Happy writing, and congratulations to all of you NaNoWriMo winners!

This month, thousands of writers are participating in  NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. It’s a challenge to write 50000 words in 30 days. Without any (gulp!) editing.

Productive writers know that grammar matters. The submitted manuscript needs to be perfect in format and grammar. The time to worry about grammar, however, is not while you write. Focus on telling the story. Get it down. Then go through the first draft to check for plot holes and consistency. Go through a second time to proof for style issues (i.e. active writing instead of passive writing). Finally, edit your draft for grammar errors and typos.

Notice I said “finally.” Editing grammar should be one of your last concerns in finishing your novel/article/story and preparing it for submission to an editor, an agent, or a contest. It’s an important step. Grammar errors make the writer look amateurish and unprofessional. But don’t anguish over every sentence while you’re producing a first draft.

Now if only I can practice what I preach, I’ll reach my own NaNoWriMo goals.

Averse used correctly:

I was averse to changing courses in midterm.

Adverse used correctly:

El Niño had an adverse effect on the weather.

Here’s a trick sentence to help you remember: You are averse to adverse conditions.

This trick sentence reminds you that averse means wanting to avoid (memorable since both begin with av) and adverse means unfavorable or difficult.

Grammar Cop will cover more confused words in the coming weeks.

It’s is a contraction of it and is or it and was. Its is the possessive of it. Why is this so difficult? Why is this infraction so widespread? I wish I knew.

You wouldn’t use hi’s for his or her’s for hers. So why would one use it’s for the possessive of it? It must be a conspiracy to raise the grammar cop’s blood pressure.

Remember: ITS is the possessive form for IT.

The apple from the new orchard was like the previous one.

Huh?  The previous orchard?  You can easily correct the sentence:

The apple from the new orchard was like the one from the previous orchard.

When writing lengthy sentences, always stay true to the basic subject-verb and you won’t get lost:

The apple, with its shiny yellow skin and flawless shape, was from the new orchard, leading us to believe we’d succeeded in selecting the same seedlings.

Please remember to vote for The Grammar Cop as Best Grammar Blog 2011: http://www.grammar.net/contest-2011/nomination-page

Grammar Cop has a problem with alright. While it’s true The Who sang The Kids Are Alright, The Who are British. The one-word spelling alright is not an accepted word in American English. It’s two words–all right. Yet alright is accepted usage in other countries. Grammar Cop doesn’t understand all spelling laws; she just tries to enforce them.

All right is correct. Alright, like irregardless and reoccur, isn’t a proper word and doesn’t belong in American writing. So regardless of what you’ve seen or read, use all right. If you spelled it alright in the  past, don’t let the usage recur.

Don’t forget to vote for The Grammar Cop. You can vote daily at http://www.grammar.net/contest-2011/nomination-page.