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Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

Grammatically Correct: The writer's essential guide to punctuation ...

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GRAMMATICALLY CORRECT<br />

Participants should sign in by noon and pick up your registration materials<br />

at the front desk.<br />

<strong>The</strong> sentence switches from the third person <strong>to</strong> the second.<br />

BETTER: Participants should sign in by noon and pick up their registration<br />

materials at the front desk.<br />

OR: Sign in by noon and pick up your registration materials at the front<br />

desk.<br />

For more on this, see "Agreement Between Pronoun and Antecedent"<br />

on page 253.<br />

Go <strong>to</strong> the "Options" menu <strong>to</strong> change the display colors, fonts, type size,<br />

set predefined breaks in your program or open the dictionary.<br />

<strong>The</strong> verb change is intended <strong>to</strong> apply <strong>to</strong> only the first three<br />

elements, but there is no clear indication of where the next verb<br />

takes over. <strong>The</strong> sentence seems <strong>to</strong> be saying that you can use this<br />

menu <strong>to</strong> change the display colors, <strong>to</strong> change fonts, <strong>to</strong> change type<br />

size and <strong>to</strong> "change set predefined breaks in your program"-the<br />

last, of course, not making any sense.<br />

BETTER: Go <strong>to</strong> the "Options" menu <strong>to</strong> change the display colors, fonts<br />

and type size; <strong>to</strong> set predefined breaks in your program; or <strong>to</strong> open the<br />

dictionary.<br />

Cus<strong>to</strong>mers may either pick up the merchandise themselves, or the<br />

company will deliver it for a small fee.<br />

Saying Cus<strong>to</strong>mers may either implies that the cus<strong>to</strong>mers will<br />

be able <strong>to</strong> do one of two things-but then the focus switches <strong>to</strong> a<br />

different ac<strong>to</strong>r, the company. <strong>The</strong> two options that follow either<br />

must be parallel. Whenever you use the combination either/or, check<br />

<strong>to</strong> see if the syntax still stands up if you put the second option in<br />

place of the first. <strong>The</strong> sequence Cus<strong>to</strong>mers may either the company<br />

will deliver it for a small fee clearly doesn't work.<br />

BETTER: Cus<strong>to</strong>mers may either pick up the merchandise themselves or<br />

have it delivered for a small fee.<br />

OR: Either cus<strong>to</strong>mers may pick up the merchandise themselves, or the<br />

company will deliver it for a small fee.<br />

He not only shoveled the walkway, but also the stairs and balcony.<br />

<strong>The</strong> contrasted items that come after not only must be parallel.<br />

Putting not only before the verb sets up an expectation that another<br />

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