Business Magazine

Grammar Friday

By Pjfaur @peterfaur

man_question_mark

  • People often use the word “since” to mean “because.” For example, someone might say, “He gave me part of his hamburger since he couldn’t eat it all.” In fact, “since” is a preposition of time that indicates the beginning point of an action, as in “I’ve been going to baseball Cardinal games since I was a boy.” On the other hand, “because” introduces the idea of cause or reason for an action: “He gave me part of his hamburger because he couldn’t eat it all.”
  • Don’t use a comma to connect two independent clauses. This is incorrect: “I want to see George Clooney’s new movie, he’s my favorite actor.” Here are some correct alternatives: “I want to see George Clooney’s new movie. He’s my favorite actor.” “I want to see George Clooney’s new movie; he’s my favorite actor.” “I want to see George Clooney’s new movie because he’s my favorite actor.”

Thanks for visiting. While you’re here, please look around the site. You can subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed. The tools to do so are at the top of the right-hand column. To share or retweet the entry, use the buttons below. You can follow me on Twitter: @peterfaur.


Back to Featured Articles on Logo Paperblog