Grammar Guide #4: Who vs. Whom

For as long as I can remember, my father has had a playful attitude toward words. When I would answer his phone calls from the road, he would ask in a low-pitched, official-sounding voice, “Is this the party to whom I’m speaking?” And though it made me giggle, it was grammatically correct. Many people struggle with when to use who and whom in a sentence, but there is a straightforward method to choosing the right word. Just ask yourself if the subject is he or him and you’ll have the answer. Here are some examples:

Grammar Guide #3: That witch who used which instead of that.

If you are confounded by the title of this lesson, you’re not alone. The terms that, which and who often cause confusion but, luckily, there are some simple rules you can follow.

Grammar Guide #2: One Word or Two?

As technology advances, new terms are coined to describe what didn’t previously exist. Often these terms are made up of multiple words that eventually become compound words. For example, in the 1990s most people used a dial-up connection to access Web sites, for which they would describe their state as being on-line or off-line. Now very few people use dial-up connections to access websites, online shopping is everywhere and offline can also refer to side conversations, as in, “let’s take this offline.”

Did you notice how the once-hyphenated terms on-line and off-line transformed into compound words in that last sentence? And just last year, two of the most influential style manuals (Associated Press Stylebook and Chicago Manual of Style) accepted website as the new standard over Web site. And while dial-up is still most widely accepted as a hyphenated adjective or noun, we may eventually see it as one word.

Welcome to the Grammar Guide

The quality of content on your website is just as important as the design and usability. And while you’ve probably already developed a unique voice for your brand, there are some basic grammar rules that, when followed, make all copy seem crisp, clean and professionally written. This post is the first in a series aimed at not only helping all of us remember those long-ago grammar lessons, but also providing guidance with new terms and rules.

Content is king. So why put it off to the last minute?

Whether for information or entertainment, commerce or connections, the goal of a website is to engage visitors. And when it comes to websites, content is king. Sure, design and usability are critically important, but without meaningful content, it’s unrealistic to expect people to engage with your site. You’ve got to deliver the “so what.”