Editorial Style Guide

Styleguide Contents

Some Common Mistakes and Trouble Spots

While not inclusive, these are examples of some common mistakes and trouble spots that occur in writing. Consult a standard grammar or writing guide for detailed explanations of these and other issues.

Collective Nouns

Many words—including faculty, committee, board, team, class, public, group—can be both singular and plural. If you intend to refer to the group as a whole, use a singular verb; use a plural verb form to refer to the members of the group. (For clarity, it helps to add “members of…” in these cases.)

The group of students is [singular verb] represented by young people from all over Africa. Members of this group include [plural verb] six students from Ghana, three from Nigeria, three from Malawi, and two from Tanzania.
The staff meets [singular] the third Wednesday of every month. Some staff attend [plural] meetings on a regular basis, while others attend them more sporadically.
The faculty at U-M receives many awards and is highly respected. [Emphasizes the faculty as a whole.] OR The faculty at U-M receive many awards and are highly respected. [Emphasizes individuals within the group.]

Prepositions at the End of Sentences

In recent years, the hard-and-fast rule about never ending a sentence with a preposition has loosened a bit. As long as the normal rules of good writing apply, it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition if doing so adds clarity and avoids the creation of a convoluted or awkward sentence. For example:

Where did she come from? (This would be preferable to the rather stilted From where did she come? or archaic, yet correct, Whence came she?)
It’s nothing to laugh about.
I can’t imagine what he’s been through.

Split Infinitive

Apply the same reasoning here as to prepositions at the end of sentences by allowing them for clarity of meaning. A good rule of thumb: don’t split the to and the verb with a lengthy phrase.

The university expects the need for off-campus housing to double in the next ten years.

Is preferable to:

The university expects to, within the next ten years, double its need for off-campus housing.

That/Which

That defines and restricts; which does not. In general, if the information in a clause adds critical meaning to a sentence use that without a comma. When introducing a clause that does not add critical meaning to the sentence, precede it with a comma and which.

The data that Bill gave you is wrong; Sarah’s data is correct. (This version makes an important distinction about whose data should be used.)
The data, which Bill gave you, is wrong. (There is only one set of data being referenced. Who delivered it is irrelevant to the fact that it is wrong.)

Their

In an attempt to write in a nonsexist manner and avoid the awkward his/her, it has become more common to see their used as both a singular and a plural pronoun. For example:

Every student is responsible for turning their project in on time.

Instead, try to rewrite copy so that their is used properly as a plural pronoun:

Students are responsible for turning their projects in on time.

Who/Whom

Traditionally, who is the subject of a sentence. Whom is the object of the verb and usually takes a preposition. That said, whom is currently not used very often in natural colloquial speech or informal writing. As with other trouble spots, it’s best to try to avoid them by rewriting the phrase in a way that is both natural and grammatically correct:

She is someone for whom I have the greatest affection. (Correct but stilted.)
She is someone I have the greatest affection for. (Acceptable, but technically wrong.)
I have the greatest affection for her. (Correct and natural-sounding.)

In informal writing, it is acceptable at times to replace whom with who and place the preposition at the end, especially for interrogative cases in which rewriting is not practical:

To whom did you give the book? » Who did you give the book to?
About whom are you talking? » Who are you talking about?