GRAMMATICAL PITFALLS - the most common ...
‘A’ for words that have a consonant sound.  This also applies to words commencing with the long ‘u’ sound like ‘eu’ and  ‘uni’. 

‘AN’ for words beginning with a vowel – including words with a silent ‘h’.  There are only four silent ‘h’ words
  • Hour      .        Heir     .    Honour     .      Honest

Words commencing with ‘eu’
  • European   .   Eulogy   .   Eucalyptus   .   Eureka
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Words commencing with ‘u’
  • Union   .   University   .   Unit   .   Unique  .  Use
These are generally acceptable …
  • Dr - Doctor
  • USA - United States of America
The first initial of titles that can then be pronounced like a word:
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  • NATO  -  North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
  • ASAP  -  As soon as possible
  • NICE  -  National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

The first time an Acronym and Initialisation is used in a report, ALWAYS use the full name and place the acronym/initialisation in brackets next to it.  The acronym/initialisation can be used thereafter in the report.  Never assume that the reader knows what these refer to.
Do not use these in reports!
  • ​Trucker (US)       =   Lorry driver (UK)
  • Trash can (US)   =   Dustbin  (UK)
There is virtually no difference between the two.  ‘Among’ is the most used in English.
Do NOT use ampersands in a report.

Ampersands should only ever be used in ‘registered’ company names – for instance: M&S and Johnson & Johnson.  The ampersand was once part of the English alphabet, but was dropped as ‘modern English’ evolved.
Apostrophes indicate either possession or an omission of a letter.

Possession:   The Queen’s relatives  .   The baby’s clothes
Omission:       It’s a windy day  .   That’s fine!
Exception:      Dates: 1960s
There are two types of brackets:

Round brackets ( )  -   Used to separate non-essential information.
  • When it snows (and it will), we can see the real beauty of the mountain.

Square brackets [ ]  -   Used to enclose words added by someone other than the original writer or speaker.
  • The witness said, ‘Gary [Thompson] was not usually late for work’.
Beware of ‘singular collective nouns’

Kingston Voluntary Action is a singular collective noun – see other examples below.  The verb to follow a singular collective noun is also singular:

  • Kingston Voluntary Action IS pleased to announce … NOT:  Kingston Voluntary Action are pleased to announce …

Other Singular Collective Nouns:  
  • Army   .   Council   .   Organisations   .   Committee   .   Team   .   School    Jury   .   Audience
Colon  :
Use a colon in a list, a summary or a long quotation.  A colon is used to provide a pause before introducing related information.
  • In two words: I’m tired.
  • The list included: apples and beer, for instance.

Semi-Colon  ;
Used to break up a very long list.  A semi-colon is stronger than a comma, but not as final as a full stop.
  • The shopping list included apples; beans; bananas; potatoes; crisps and beer.
There are four types of commas:

The Listing Comma
Used when three or more words, phrases or sentences are joined by the word ‘and’ or ‘or’.
  • You can fly to Dubai via Amsterdam, Rome or Cairo.

The Joining Comma
Used to join two complete sentences into a single sentence.   The connecting words are: ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’, ‘while’ and ‘yet’.
  •  You must hand in your essay by Friday, or you will receive a mark of zero.

The Gapping Comma
Used to show that one or more words have been left out.
  • Italy is famous for its composers and musicians, France for its chefs and philosophers, and Poland for its mathematicians and logicians.

The Bracketing Comma
A pair of bracketing commas is used to mark off a weak interruption of the sentence.
  • Darwin’s Origin of Species’, published in 1859, revolutionised biological thinking.
Continually ...  Very often
  • The website is being updated continually.

Continuously  ... Ceaselessly
  • The baby shrieks continuously the entire time I hold her.
Do NOT use contractions in a report.
  • Use ‘do not’ instead of ‘don’t’.
  • Use ‘cannot’ instead of ‘can’t’.
Double Negative … Never use double negatives – these represent very poor grammar.  However, they can be found in song lyrics!
  • I can’t find the car nowhere.
  • You can’t see no-one today.
Lyrics:
  • There ain’t no mountain high enough.
  • I can’t get no satisfaction.
Due to  =  caused by  …  cause + result.
  • His absence was due to illness.

Owing to =  because of.  As a consequence of something … owing to + cause.
  • Owing to illness, he missed his exams.

‘Due to’ is more common than ‘owing to’ in modern English.  Never commence a sentence with 'Due to'.
A punctuation mark consisting of three dots – never more, never less.  Also known as dot-dot-dot.  

Use an ellipsis to show an omission of a word, or words, in a quote. 
  • “After work I went shopping, at M&S in Kingston, and then went home.”
  • "After work, I went shopping … and then I went home.”

Use an ellipsis to show a pause in thought, or to create suspense.
  • “I was thinking … maybe we should go on holiday.”

Use an ellipsis to show a break, or a trailing off, of a thought process.
  • “I know I saw my keys somewhere …"
These should not be used in formal or business writing.

Used when words or phrases are used to express emotion or to catch a reader’s attention.  Only ever use ONE exclamation mark – no matter what!
  • What a stunning view!
  • Help!
  • Shut up!
  • How well Ireland played at Twickenham today!
FEWER is when you can count something – for instance:
  • The family needs to have fewer holidays’.

​LESS if you cannot count it – for instance: ages, heights and weights.
  • He was less than 5ft tall.
These are the first initials of titles and then do not sound like words
  • FBI  -  Federal Bureau of Investigation
  • KVA - Kingston Voluntary Action
Used when two individual words are joined together.   Also used to separate repeated letters in a compound word.

Individual words joined
  • Check-up
  • Break-in

Compound words
  • Co-op
  • Re-emergence

Exception to the rule
  • Withhold
These do not mean the same thing …  and never use an initial capital.

ie:    id est   -  In other words. 
  • It happened in August, ie:  two months ago.

eg:   exempli gratia  -  For example.
  • He was good at running, eg: rugby and football.
‘If’ is a conditional clause, so use ‘were’ – even if the pronoun is singular.
  • If I were you …
  • If you were me …
Plural      = not any
Singular = not a single one
  • None of the cake was eaten
  • None of the children were hungry
Always write numbers in full at the start of a sentence.  Subsequently, the number may be written numerically.
  • Twenty nine robbers came a-knocking at the door
  • The door was opened to find 29 robbers outside.
Name of a person, place or organisation, times or dates in a calendar.  Always use capitals for the initial letters.
  • Animals
  • Donald Duck
  • Lassie

Organisations
  • Kingston Voluntary Action
  • The United Nations

People
  • Queen Elizabeth
  • Sir Winston Churchill

Things
  • The Financial Times 
  • The Eiffel Tower

Times and Dates
  • Saturday, 31 August 1982

Titles
  • Chief Executive
  • Trustee Board
Eases the flow for the reader …

If in doubt about where to place a comma or a full stop, read the sentence/paragraph aloud and whenever you breathe, think about putting in the requisite punctuation.
Quotation Marks  …  Double or single?
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Double  -  Used to set off a direct quotation.  Always capitalise the first word in a quotation.
  • “I hope that you will be there”, he said.
 
Single   -   Used in specialist writing with meanings that are unique to that subject.
  • The side of the road is called the 'lay-by'. 
Keep them brief …

Sentences should never be longer than 13 – 15 words.  Anything longer can lead to ambiguities and will certainly lose the reader’s interest.
Shall  -   First person pronouns – I and we.
  • I'm sorry, I shall be late.

Will     -   Second and third person pronouns – you, he, she, it, they.
  • They will not have enough food.

However, when it comes to expressing a strong determination to do something, the roles are reversed:  ‘Will’ is used for the first person and ‘Shall’ with the second and third person.
  • I will not tolerate this attitude.
  • You shall go on holiday.
Whilst unacceptable in good grammar, these can make the meaning more powerful …
  • ‘To boldly go’ = split infinitive
  • ‘To go boldly’ = non split infinitive
Try to avoid these – they are obvious statements …
  • Past history.
  • I went there personally.
  • The evening sunset was beautiful.
That    -   Used with phrases that are ‘essential’ to the sentence – a part of a sentence that cannot be left out.  ‘That’ defines something.
  • The umbrella that you lent me is in my car
  • The house that I wanted to buy has been sold

Which  -   Used with phrases that are ‘not essential to the overall meaning of the sentence – therefore, can be omitted.  ‘Which’ informs.
  • The umbrella, which is brown, is in my car.
  • The house, which I didn’t want to buy, has been sold.
This and that are used to point to one object.
  • This points out something nearby.
  • That points to something ‘over there’.
  • That pen is yours.
  • This is my pen.

These and those refer to more than one object.
  • These point to something nearby.
  • Those points to something ‘over there’.
  • ​These pens are mine.
  • Those pens are yours.

NEVER write or use ‘them’ instead of ‘those’ – for instance:  ‘Where are them pens?’  This is extremely poor grammar.
Who or Whom   …   Whom can be omitted in ‘informal’ writing, but it should be used in ‘formal’ writing – for instance, in reports

Who   -  The subject of the verb – the one doing the action.
  • The dog ate the cake.
          Who ate the cake?
 
Whom  -  The object of the verb – the one being acted upon.
  • I sent out a letter of complaint.
  • To whom was the letter addressed?

  • Replace ‘he’ or ‘she’ with ‘who’ - ‘whoever’..
  • Replace ‘him’ or ‘her’ with ‘whom’ - ‘whomever’.
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