In the New Yorker...

[Jeff Wrangler]

Did you writers read the Sept. 29 issue article about Henry Fowler and his "Dictionary of Modern English Usage"?

I had a copy of Fowler on my bookshelf. I don't remember when or why I got it. I can't remember if I ever used it. I don't remember what I did with it or when. 

I found the discussion of the use of "that" and "which" particularly interesting. Apparently, I follow Fowler's preference and didn't even know it. 

[serious crayons]

Well, now I guess I'll have to read it to find out what his preference is!

[Jeff Wrangler]

Well, now I guess I'll have to read it to find out what his preference is!

That's if I read the article correctly. 

[serious crayons]

Apparently, I follow Fowler's preference and didn't even know it. 

I read the article and discovered the same. "That" defines something, "which" adds additional description/information (or something like that). The car that I wound up buying, which was cheaper than the others, is a Honda. The baseball that crashed through the window, which scared the bejesus out of me, belonged to the neighbor kid. I'd been writing sentences that way without realizing I was following a rule. But if "that" and "which" switched places in those sentences, it wouldn't quite be grammatically incorrect but would sound ... off.






   

[Jeff Wrangler]

I read the article and discovered the same. "That" defines something, "which" adds additional description/information (or something like that). The car that I wound up buying, which was cheaper than the others, is a Honda. The baseball that crashed through the window, which scared the bejesus out of me, belonged to the neighbor kid. I'd been writing sentences that way without realizing I was following a rule. But if "that" and "which" switched places in those sentences, it wouldn't quite be grammatically incorrect but would sound ... off.

Seems like a lot of people would write "The car which I wound up buying was a Honda."

[serious crayons]

Seems like a lot of people would write "The car which I wound up buying was a Honda."

Yes, and a lot of people spell "you're" without the apostrophe and the e. This isn't quite incorrect, I guess, but it just sounds awkward. If I were editing their copy, I'd change it. In fact, this is one of those situations where it doesn't need either a "which" OR a "that," so I'd just delete the whole word.

I looked back over the two previous sample uses, and my car example didn't need a "that," either. But the "baseball" example does. So maybe "that" is a definition when placed between a noun and the verb that follows it?



 

[Jeff Wrangler]

Yes, and a lot of people spell "you're" without the apostrophe and the e. This isn't quite incorrect, I guess, but it just sounds awkward.

I don't know. I'd say when "your" is used as a contraction for "you are," 'it's objectively wrong.

I'd say the same goes for "its" when what's meant is "it's," for "it is."

I guess when I'm writing fast and not really proofreading my own typing, I'm guilty of both sins. 

[serious crayons]

I don't know. I'd say when "your" is used as a contraction for "you are," 'it's objectively wrong.

I'd say the same goes for "its" when what's meant is "it's," for "it is."

I guess when I'm writing fast and not really proofreading my own typing, I'm guilty of both sins. 

Your right, those were bad examples. Its hard to think of something that's not technically quite wrong but it's sound isn't quite correct. 

How about the old AP Style no-no, saying "over" instead of "more than," as in "Over a thousand people showed up at the local No Kings protest"?

[Jeff Wrangler]

How about the old AP Style no-no, saying "over" instead of "more than," as in "Over a thousand people showed up at the local No Kings protest"?

I try to remember that.

Clearly the style has changed to "from March 12--22." For myself I still try to stick to "from March 12 to March 22" (or "through March 22," if appropriate), or "something lasted March 12--22."

My high school composition/journalism teacher had a thing about "died suddenly." He said everybody dies "suddenly." The question is whether or not death was expected or unexpected.

[serious crayons]

He's got a point. Although I might quibble that some people experience brain death and see themselves walking toward a light and their deceased loved ones but aren't actually dead-dead until their heart stops. Not quite the same thing, though, so "died unexpectedly" is better.