Meg's Musings

Return of the Grammar Goddess

Item One: Then/Than

Then--indicates time or sequence (e.g. We all ate the ex-lax brownies, then spent the evening in the bathrooms.)

Than--indicate preference or comparison (e.g. I'd rather have a cookie than a cold sore.)


Item Two: A/An

A--Goes before words which begin in consonants (e.g. a cookie, a cold sore, a cat, a concussion).

An--Goes before words which begin in vowels or the sound of a vowel (e.g. an elephant, an eggplant, an earache, an hour).


Item Three: Effect/Affect (by special request of Holly)

Effect-- Usually a noun, when bring about, brought about, cause, caused or result (or any of their conjugations) can be substituted in the sentence or when a noun is definitely called for (preceded by a, an, the, no, any, etc.) (e.g. She was unsure how she could effect a change in Americans' grammar, OR The desired effect was not achieved when the small dog blew up.)

Affect-- Usually a verb, emotional responses or when "influence" not "cause" is the main point. (e.g. Will Mark's sermon this morning affect your desire to be involved in Riverview? OR His decision to become a vegan affected our relationship.)

Please feel free to leave your own examples/attempts in the comments section:)

posted by Me @ 16:39