This document provides a quick guide to common grammar issues for journalists, including singular/plural agreement, antecedents, essential/nonessential clauses, ambiguous modifiers, passive voice, apostrophes, dangling modifiers, personification, and subject/object errors. Examples are given of incorrect and correct usages. The document also lists reference materials for journalists, including the AP Stylebook.

1. Grammar for journalists
A quick and dirty guide to a writer’s
most common problems

2. What’s wrong?
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that they would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.

3. Singular/plural agreement
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that they would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.
• The Peabody School Committee decided
last night that it would hire a new
superintendent by Nov. 12.

4. What’s wrong?
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold their annual retreat this coming
weekend.

5. Watch your antecedents
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold their annual retreat this coming
weekend.
• The Winchester Board of Selectmen will
hold its annual retreat this coming
weekend.

6. Special considerations
• From the AP Stylebook: “They/them/there
is acceptable in limited cases as a singular
and/or gender-neutral pronoun, when
alternative wording is overly awkward and
clumsy. However, rewording usually is
possible and always is preferable.”

7. What’s wrong?
• The first team which crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.

8. Essential/nonessential
• The first team which crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.
• The first team that crosses the finish line
will be rewarded with free ice cream.

9. What’s wrong?
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife Bertha
Gilooley appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.

10. Essential/nonessential
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife Bertha
Gilooley appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.
• Thomas R. Smith and his wife, Bertha
Gilooley, appeared in court on a charge of
disturbing the peace.

11. What’s wrong?
• The ball which rolled across the street
ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.

12. Ambiguous
• The ball which rolled across the street
ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.
• The ball, which rolled across the street,
ended up on a neighbor’s lawn.
• The ball that rolled across the street ended
up on a neighbor’s lawn.

13. What’s wrong?
• The runs were scored by the Red Sox in the
top of the seventh inning.

14. Passive voice
• The runs were scored by the Red Sox in the
top of the seventh inning.
• The Red Sox scored the runs in the top of
the seventh inning.

15. What’s wrong
• The choir will perform it’s encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.

16. Dave Barry Rule of Apostrophes
• The choir will perform it’s encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.
• The choir will perform its encore, a
Gershwin medley, after a brief
intermission.

17. What’s wrong?
• A throwback album in the manner of classic
’70s gospel and soul, Mavis Staples, at the
age of 80, is in the midst of a career revival
with “We Get By.”

18. Dangling modifier
• A throwback album in the manner of classic
’70s gospel and soul, Mavis Staples, at the
age of 80, is in the midst of a full-fledged
career revival with “We Get By.”
• A throwback album in the manner of classic
’70s gospel and soul, “We Get By” shows
Mavis Staples, at the age of 80, in the midst
of a full-fledged career revival.

19. What’s wrong?
• The company said yesterday that it would
soon unveil a new line of products.

20. Personification
• The company said yesterday that it would
soon unveil a new line of products.
• Angela Sanchez, a company
spokeswoman, said yesterday that the
company would soon unveil a new line of
products.

21. What’s wrong?
• The political figure to who the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.

22. Subject/object
• The political figure to who the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.
• The political figure to whom the threat was
delivered quickly fled the country.

23. Reference materials
• “Reporting for the Media,” Appendix B
– Photocopy it and put it in your AP Stylebook

24. Reference materials
• “Reporting for the Media,” Appendix B
– Photocopy it and put it in your AP Stylebook
• AP Stylebook
– Why is “Reporting for the Media” in quotation
marks and AP Stylebook is not?

25. Reference materials
• “Reporting for the Media,” Appendix B
– Photocopy it and put it in your AP Stylebook
• AP Stylebook
– capitalization … datelines … possessives …
essential/nonessential phrases and clauses …
“A Guide to Punctuation”