by Mignon Fogarty
 

What Did People Want to Know in 2010?

As 2010 comes to an end, it seems like a good time to review the most frequently asked questions of the year.

1. "Affect" versus "effect": The quick and dirty tip is that most of the time you use "affect" as a verb and "effect" as a noun. Of course, there are exceptions to that rule. Get the full explanation.

2. "Which" versus "that": The quick and dirty tip is to use "that" before a restrictive clause and "which" before everything else. Get the full explanation.

3. "Who" versus "whom": Here's the quick and dirty tip: When you're trying to decide whether to use "who" or "whom," ask yourself if the hypothetical answer to the question would be "he" or "him." If you can answer the question being asked with "him," use "whom"--it's easy to remember because they both end with "m." Get the full explanation.

4. Periods and Quotation Marks: In the United States, we put periods and commas inside closing quotation marks. See other differences between British and American English.