A reader recently emailed me this question: A woman who is a columnist for our local San Luis Obispo Tribune always capitalizes the word husband when it precedes his name, i.e. Husband Richard. She also capitalizes Son Sean. When I grumbled about it to a friend who edits books she claimed that was proper. Wondering… Continue reading Reader question: When do you capitalize “husband”?
Category: Reader questions
Reader question: “My game arrived with a missing token.”
I recently received the following message on my Facebook page: Saw this posted in a board game group: “My game arrived with a missing token.” Someone responds, “don’t you mean without.” “Without a missing token”??? How would you tackle this sentence structure? I don’t really have much of an issue with the original construction. It’s… Continue reading Reader question: “My game arrived with a missing token.”
Shouldn’t you capitalize “husband”?
The following is a reader submission. Wouldn’t you capitalize husband if in fact you were writing and referenced your Husband? Using the word husband in place of his name. Just like when you would reference your Mom or Dad. I thought personal reference should be added as the 4th reason to capitalize husband from your… Continue reading Shouldn’t you capitalize “husband”?
Happy birthday from Sue and I or Sue and me?
The following is a reader submission. Last week, I received an email from someone who wanted to know how to properly write a birthday greeting, specifically: Happy birthday from Sue and I or Sue and me? I have seen a few people ask questions similar to this, so I thought I’d turn my response into… Continue reading Happy birthday from Sue and I or Sue and me?
“I were he” or “I were him”
The following is a reader submission. Would you mind elaborating on which is correct and why: If I were him I would think twice before cutting his hair. Or If I were he I would think twice before cutting his hair. Or If I were (he or him) I would think twice before cutting my… Continue reading “I were he” or “I were him”
Conjunctions and pronouns
The following is a reader submission. I found your article on “I am heâ€, and hoped you could settle variations on that. I believe it is “She and I went to …â€. Subjective form, but with first person last. And then “He gave it to herâ€. But can it ever be the compound “her and… Continue reading Conjunctions and pronouns
Writing out the age of a person
The following is a reader submission. How do you write out the age of a person? Is it correct to write: 48-year-old or 48 year-old? Hi Amy, Thanks for the great question. It’s actually a pretty simple answer. If you use the phrase as a noun, you use hyphens (e.g. The 48-year-old ate at the… Continue reading Writing out the age of a person
How to use “to dwindle”
The following is a reader submission. The argument is whether dwindle makes sense on the following sentence: Mrs. Jones, please dwindle down the invitation list. Both sides of the argument agree that dwindle makes sense in the following sentence: His finances dwindled down due to his overspending. We aren’t looking for what sounds best, but… Continue reading How to use “to dwindle”
Capitalize dad and mum/mom
The following is a reader submission. My son had to determine whether or not “dad” was capitalized in this sentence. His first grade teacher wrote the sentence: Mom and Dad/dad did not scold the kind child. Thanks for your input! Cindy Hi Cindy, It would be capitalized if it is a proper name. In this… Continue reading Capitalize dad and mum/mom
When to use “I were”
The following is a reader submission. I was surprised to see that you said, “I were” in a sentence. When I went to school, the nuns told us that “were” was only to be used with a plural subject such as you, they or we. Has grammar changed and now it’s okay to say, “I… Continue reading When to use “I were”