Cami Sabin, Week Four

I enjoy reading the topical guide section of the textbook. Yes, I am that type of person. I enjoy it partly because the material is interesting, but also because the authors seem to have a sense of humor – such as when they suggest that readers “pour a glass of juice in the morning before you pore, or ‘study attentively,’ over ‘When Words Collide.’”

The entry for “that/which/who” is a good one for me to focus on. I often get find myself wondering whether I should use “which” or “that,” and forget about “who” entirely. Take, for example, the following sentence: I am looking for people that went to Weber State University. I know “which” doesn’t sound right in this context, so I automatically go with “that.” I tend to forget that “who” is even an option, when in fact it is the correct option to use whenever referring to people. The sentence should say, “I am looking for people who went to Weber State University.”

“Who” can be used for both restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses, but “that” and “which” are each only used on one or the other. “That” is only for restrictive clauses, and “which” is only for nonrestrictive clauses. So you wouldn’t say, “There are three pizzas which have pepperoni and two which only have cheese.” Instead, you would say, “There are three pizzas that have pepperoni and two that only have cheese.” [Okay, in all honestly you would probably rewrite the sentence to be active voice: Three pizzas have pepperoni and two only have cheese.]

The Topical Guide includes an entry for “since/because,” which I find so interesting because I hear so many people misuse these words. “Since I can’t go to the store, could you get me some tomatoes?” is incorrect. Since is only about time. “I haven’t been to the store since my accident.”

As far as an editing mistake, my example this week is more about syntax and slang than editing; but it is certainly something I see often, and definitely one of my pet peeves. I was scrolling through Facebook, and saw the following post by my friend, along with a photo of his kids on their first day of school: Dems chillens juss keep gettin coola! First day of gettin schooled...

I had to read it three or four times. I understand that he (and others) speak like this, but writing like this is distracting and confusing to the reader. Personally, I use full sentences and punctuation in all of my written communication, whether formal papers or informal texts. While I admit to using “lol” on occasion, I wish spelling shortcuts like “u” for you and “ur” for your would just go away.