Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. I hope you enjoy this April Fools' Day show. Grammar Hammer grammar "most darkest"? Shame on you! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=7391#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=7391#Comments Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:24:29 GMT Tommie Keith grammar I'm having problems with paragraphs and chapters. How do I know when they should end or begin? Does it have anything to do with subject matter or geography? ----- -------- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1126#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1126#Comments Wed, 09 May 2007 14:12:00 GMT Jeff Caylor grammar Grammar Girl! Love your podcast. Heard "Lay Down Sally" in the grocery store and thought "What a dimwit." :) Hey, I can't believe you didn't point out the REASON that grammar nazis are sticklers about "well" vs. "good." It's in the question. "How are you doing?" should be answered "well" ("I'm doing well"). "How are you?" can be answered either way. Like you say, "I am good" is an acceptable response anytime. "I'm doing good" is not. I'm not an expert in English or grammar, but it fascinates me as an artist/songwriter. Great job on the podcast! ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1124#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1124#Comments Tue, 24 Apr 2007 18:48:48 GMT John grammar Arlene, I don't think there is a usage problem here. Use whichever one sounds normal to you. ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1119#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1119#Comments Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:25:45 GMT Alicia grammar I'm new to Grammar Girl (thanks to Oprah!), so I am not sure if I am posting this in the correct spot. Can you start a sentence with the word "because?" I remember being told as a child that you cannot start a sentence with "because." However, a classmate of mine said a sentence like the following is correct, "Because she is shy, she avoids parties." I disagree. Can you help? ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1117#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1117#Comments Thu, 05 Apr 2007 07:12:32 GMT Arlene grammar I watched you on the Oprah show. I think you are awesome! I love your website! I'm hoping you can help me out. I'm not always sure when to use "come/ coming" or "go/going". For instance, when my son gets invited to a party and I call to RSVP, should I say "He is going to the party." or "He is coming to the party."? To avoid this dilemma, I either ask my husband to make the call or I say "He will attend the party". ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1114#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1114#Comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:44:12 GMT John grammar According to The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, the superlative used to compare two things is standard, for instance "Math and physics are both hard for me, but physics is hardest." But they note that it is not used in very formal writing. ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1112#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1112#Comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:48:45 GMT Grammar Girl grammar I don't think there is a rule about how often you should use participial clauses in a paragraph. It's often good to mix up your sentence structure, and if you think you might be overdoing the participial clauses, there are many ways to rewrite your sentences. For example, you could have written your message like this: I have listened to your show for quite some time now, and I love it. I use participial clauses... ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1106#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1106#Comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:40:29 GMT Grammar Girl grammar Criteria and stadia are plural, so you should use are. I think you might be thinking of collective nouns such as class, jury, and team. The rules for whether to use is or are after a collective noun are complicated and I believe they vary between American Engish and British English. I will cover the topic in a future episode. ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1104#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1104#Comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 05:33:07 GMT Robert grammar I randomly came across your site via Glennalicious' website. This is too kool. I might just have to purchase your audio book! Thanks GrammarGirl. BTW, yeah, I suck at grammar. ----- http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1095#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx?commentid=1095#Comments Wed, 04 Apr 2007 04:38:35 GMT Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:24:29 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/april-fools-day-episode.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us