Daily Grammar – Week 6

(“Its” is a possessive pronoun; e.g., “a dog wags its tail.” However, “it’s” is a contraction or short form of “it is”.)

2. You need fewer sugar at your age. (No)

You need less sugar at your age. (Yes)

(You use “less” to refer to uncountable nouns while you use “fewer” to refer to countable nouns. Therefore, in Standard English, you say, “give me four pens or fewer” not *”give me four pens or less”.)

3a. My wife likes flowers, i.e., rose, hibiscus and sunflower. (No)

My wife likes flowers, e.g., rose, hibiscus and sunflower. (Yes)

3b. He doesn’t mind travelling with me, e.g., he is willing to join me on the trip. (No)

He doesn’t mind travelling with me, i.e., he is willing to join me on the trip. (Yes)

( The term, “i.e.”, is derived from the Latin phrase, “id est”, meaning “in other words” while “e.g.”, meaning “for example”, is from another Latin phrase, “exempli gratia”. The two forms are not synonymous. Note that “that is” and “for example” are better used in formal writing or some documents than their abbreviated alternatives.)

Did You Know?

“Factoid” was first used by author and activist Norman Mailer in 1973 to refer to a fact that is not true. According to him, factoids are “facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper”, that is, stuff that the media just make up.

Can you share with us some of the factoids you have read?