Category Archives: Tools & Tactics

It’s awards season, so for this week’s Grammar Hammer, I thought I’d tackle the trickiness of “premier” vs. “premiere” (also, a suggestion from a loyal reader.)

Paging through any number of magazines, how many times have you seen ads or read articles about various places or business touted as “the premiere [spa, resort, restaurant, software, etc.]“? This comes up more often than you might think in business writing. My handy-dandy AP Stylebook keeps things pretty simple when you’re trying to decide which word to use.

“Premiere” can be used as a noun or a verb and refers to a first performance.

QUICK TIP: Outside of the entertainment industry, you won’t have much occasion to use “premiere.” If you want to have some fun with your readers, tell them that a movie premieres at its premiere.

EXAMPLE: “My friends and I won free tickets to the premiere of the ballet.”

“Premier” – used as a noun to mean an individual who is the first minister in a national government that has a council of ministers, or used as an adjective to mean a first in status.

QUICK TIP: “Premier” is easy to remember because it will have almost nothing to do with a debut performance.

EXAMPLE: “My son’s class project about Canadian provinces included writing a report on the Quebec premier and what she does during an average day at work.”

EXAMPLE: “On these cold, wintry days, I remember my trip last spring to the Kauai Coffee Plantation – the premier coffee destination in Hawaii.”

So the next time that magazine you’re reading while you wait for the dentist touts the luxuries of the “premiere resort spot in the world,” you can sigh and shake your head at the unnecessary fancy-fied spelling used to try to get you to book a trip.

Have a grammar rule you’d like me to explore? Drop me a line at catherine.spicer@prnewswire.com.

Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services at PR Newswire.

I’ve read several articles lately that have made me question whether I’m just getting old and curmudgeonly about certain things. I’m a self-proclaimed old-schooler in many respects.  I still want to put two spaces after a period (mainly out of fear of retribution from Mrs. Thomas, my high school typing teacher, who would thwack my knuckles with a ruler if I didn’t employ proper spacing). I still advocate the use of the serial comma after the second to last item in a list.

“Where are you at?” and “Where is it at?” are the grammatical equivalent of nails on a chalkboard to me. Is ending a sentence with a preposition a grammatical faux pas? Is it an urban grammatical myth? Or is it just irritating?

The Colonel would say, “Now, granddaughter, sometimes it’s ok to end a sentence with a preposition. Think about whether or not the sentence would work if you left out the preposition.” Ending a sentence with a preposition is part urban grammatical myth, part unnecessary and part absolutely necessary.

NECESSARY: “What did you trip over?” You can’t really say, “What did you trip?” That sounds more like you actually tripped something instead of tripping over something. And unless I was auditioning for Shakespeare, I probably wouldn’t say, “Over what did you trip?”

UNNECESSARY: “Where are you at?” I’m at the end of my rope with that sentence. “At” is unnecessary. I will say this is something I hear spoken more than I see it written. But, since the old-schooler in me believes that well-written is a direct correlation to well-spoken, it’s still a viable example. Unnecessary prepositions can also show up in the middle of sentences. For example, “There’s a stray cat outside of the door.” You don’t really need the “of” in that sentence. “There’s a stray cat outside the door.”

URBAN GRAMMATICAL MYTH: Grammar Girl offered some sage advice on this one, calling it “Cover Letter Grammar.” Because so many people see ending sentences with prepositions as a grammar rule, don’t do it on something like a cover letter. The person reading the letter might think that this is still an actual grammar rule and think you made a mistake. But, once you get the job, don’t be afraid to end your sentence with a preposition (as long as you skip the unnecessary ones). Be ready to dazzle your new boss with your grammatical prowess and have your style guide handy to prove your point.

Have a grammar rule you’d like me to explore? Drop me a line at catherine.spicer@prnewswire.com.

Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services at PR Newswire.

The proper usage of me, myself, and I ranks pretty high in my list of grammar pet peeves. Maybe it’s all those quizzes I was subjected to in Mr. Mullens’ 6th grade English class, but when it comes to using me, myself, or I, here are a few quick tips to help you remember which is which.

I – one of the big guns in the personal pronoun world – is used as the subject. Only use “I” when you are the one taking action in the sentence. “I shoveled the driveway.” Simple, right? Let’s add someone else to the sentence. Which would you use?

• “Tony and me shoveled the driveway in record time.”
• “Tony and myself shoveled the driveway in record time.”
• “Tony and I shoveled the driveway in record time.”

Correct answer – “Tony and I shoveled the driveway in record time.”

Quick tip – if you’re not sure whether or not to use “I,” remove the other person from the sentence and see if it makes sense. I’m pretty sure I’d get some strange looks if I said, “Me shoveled the driveway in record time,” or “Myself shoveled the driveway in record time.”

Me – the object. Use “me” when the action is being done to, or for, you. Which would you use?

• “If you have any additional questions about the project, call Sarah or me.”
• “If you have any additional questions about the project, call Sarah or myself.”
• “If you have any additional questions about the project, call Sarah or I.”

Correct answer – “If you have any additional questions about the project, call Sarah or me.” I’m asking someone else to do the action – call. Who are they calling? Me.

Myself – one of the –self pronouns (reflexive or intensive, depending on their function).

“Myself” shouldn’t be used unless there’s an “I” previously in the same sentence. Think of it this way, only you can do something to yourself.

RIGHT: “I wanted to shovel the driveway myself.”

WRONG: “Shoveling the driveway is good for the neighborhood and myself.” (OK, that’s lame, I don’t know anyone who really ENJOYS shoveling the driveway or thinks it’s GOOD for them, but I think you get my point.)

As for me, myself, and I, we’re doing just fine, thanks, and will probably be shoveling my driveway this weekend.

Have a grammar rule you’d like me to explore? Drop me a line at catherine.spicer@prnewswire.com.

Author Catherine Spicer is a manager of customer content services at PR Newswire.