Page 186 - Perfect English Grammar: The Indispensable Guide to Excellent Writing and Speaking

at the present time now
by way of via, by

each and every each or every

for the purpose of for, so, to

in the event that if
of the opinion that think

still remains remains

the reason is because because

until such time as until

Don’t tell the reader what you’re doing. This is sometimes called “throat
clearing,” where the writer prefaces the true content of the writing with

statements about what they’re going to say.

■ Original: In the paragraphs below, this report will outline the

strategies for defeating West Side High School.
■ Better: Here are five strategies for defeating West Side High School.

Edit your work. Everybody must edit their work, even if someone else is
also going to edit it afterward. Take a short break and come back to it fresh. Start

at the top and try to treat it as if a friend wrote it. Don’t read it just to bask in
your genius. Edit it with the intention of cleaning, trimming, and tightening. Be

firm with yourself (see section 2.8, Editing).

17.21 Y’all, You Guys, and Genderless Guy

English uses the same pronoun for both the second-person singular and the

second-person plural: you (see section 10.0, Pronouns). Over the centuries,
English speakers seem to have agreed this is confusing, as several new second-

person plural pronouns have appeared.
Y’all, a shortening of you all, is widely used throughout the American South,

even in formal situations. See more in section 4.5.3.