Confusable words in English abound. In the following paragraphs we’ll take a look at two word pairs that commonly perplex native speakers. With a little review and a couple of tips, you’ll improve the likelihood of choosing the right word.

who vs. whom

First, remember that both words refer to a person. In a sentence or clause, ‘who’ functions as the subject, ‘whom’ as the object. If you can substitute ‘him’ for whom, then ‘whom’ is the right choice. And if ‘he’ can replace ‘who’, then ‘who’ is the correct word. Think of it this way: whom = him, who = he. Here are several examples:

Who/whom is invited to the party?
‘Who’ is the correct choice; it’s the subject of the sentence. (Would you say, “Him is invited to the party?” No.)

The girl knew who/whom to choose as leader.
Identify the subject : girl. Now, the verb: knew. And the object of this sentence? Whom. Read aloud to check: The girl knew him (to choose as leader).

Rewording a sentence can help. “To who/whom do we owe our thanks ?” could be changed to “We do owe our thanks to who/whom?” It’s easier to spot the subject, ‘We’, and the verb phrase, ‘do owe’. It appears clearer that the choice should be ‘whom’(here it’s the object of the prepositional phrase, ‘to whom’), but you substitute ‘him’ for whom, just to be sure…”We do owe our thanks to him.”

advise vs. advice

With this pair, it’s a simple matter of learning definitions. ‘Advise’ is a verb meaning to offer counsel or recommend a course of action. ‘Advice’, a noun, is the counsel offered. The ending sound is more of an short ‘s’ than the ‘z’ you hear on ‘advise.’

Tom will act upon his father’s advice and keep training for the marathon.
His mother will probably advise him to get enough rest while he trains.

According to Strunk and White’s classic ELEMENTS OF STYLE, dashes are marks of separation “stronger than a comma, less formal than a semicolon, and more relaxed than parentheses.” Most often, they’re used to emphasize a pause, add or correct information, or signal an abrupt switch in thought or tone. The sentences below illustrate their handiness. Suggestions for alternate punctuation are also offered.

I need to purchase my return ticket for—oh, no, my wallet is missing! (change in thought)
After many sleepless nights—and some careful consideration—Grace decided to quit her job and start a business. (additional information; commas okay)
The contestant held his breath—had he given the game show host a correct answer? (pause for emphasis; semicolon also appropriate)
The ingredients for the cake—flour, sugar, vanilla, butter, and eggs—are on the kitchen counter. (adds list; parentheses acceptable)
The unhappy child opened her mouth and began to scream—a shrill, piercing, earsplitting wail. (emphasis; could use colon instead)

The “em dash”(its technical term) is formed by hitting the hyphen key twice. On most PCs, it can also be formed this way: type the first word, hold down the ALT key, type 0151 on the numeric pad, and then enter the next word. Like magic—there it is!

Keep in mind that using just dashes alone lessens their effectiveness. Mix in other punctuation marks when appropriate—commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses—to vary the rhythm of written work.

Learn how to use an English verb correctly, and communication will be crisp and clear. A verb is the part of speech that expresses being and action. It is the heart of a sentence; in fact, add only a noun and you have a complete thought that can stand alone.

In English verb tenses past, present, and future are shown by adding certain endings. A regular verb is one which follows a predictable pattern, seen in the example below:

play

She plays the accordion in a bluegrass band. (plays is present tense — it is happening now)
She played the accordion last night in a concert. (played is simple past tense — it happened previously)
She has played the accordion before large audiences. (the helping verb ‘has’ added to played makes it a more specific form of the past tense — this is called a past participle)
She will play the accordion later this year in a Christmas program. (will play is future tense — it has not yet happened; note the helping verb ‘will’)

An irregular English verb falls outside of the standard English verb conjugations. Like regular verbs, there are three main tenses (past, present, and future); however, the endings are not predictable and must be learned on an individual basis. Here are two examples:

buy

The man buys a gift for his wife’s birthday. (present)
The man bought a gift for his wife’s birthday last year. (simple past)
The man has bought a gift for his wife already. (past participle)
The man will buy a gift for his wife’s birthday next week. (future)

fly

The bird flies high in the sky. (present)
The bird flew across miles of land on its migratory path this past autumn. (simple past)
The bird has flown many miles to its destination. (past participle)
The bird will fly back to Canada in the summer. (future)

As challenging as grammar English verb tenses can be, a person who studies them intently will certainly improve his communication skills.