Style Guide | Common Grammar & Style Issues
Life University Brand Standards
That / Which / Who “ That ” and “ which ” are used to modify objects . In many cases , they are interchangeable .“ That ” should almost always be used with restrictive-clauses ( clauses that change the meaning of the sentence if removed ):
I want the pen that glows in the dark . “ Which ” is most commonly used with non-restrictive clauses ( non-essential “ additions ” to the sentence ): She chose the glow-in-the-dark pen , which is one of my favorites .
“ Who ” / “ whom ” is used to modify a person : He was the one who gave me the directions .
Who / Whom “ Who ” is used to modify a subject of a sentence or question : Dr . Smith , who is also a chiropractor , co-hosted the recruitment event . (“ Dr . Smith ” is the subject being modified ). “ Whom ” is used to modify the object of a sentence or question : Whom did you invite to speak at the recruitment event ? ( The speaker is the object being modified by the question ; “ you ” is the subject ). A good way to remember this is to rephrase the sentence using “ him / her ” or “ he / she .” If the rephrased sentence makes grammatical sense using “ him / her ,” then use “ whom :”
I invited her ( whom ) to speak at the event . If it makes sense when you insert “ he / she ” use “ who ”:
She ( who ) co-hosted the recruitment event .
Over / More Than “ Over ” is used for direction :
The cow jumped over the moon .
“ More than ” is used for math and numbers : There are more than 200 characters in the Japanese alphabet .
Less / Fewer Use “ less ” for non-quantifiable items :
We have less time to complete the project . Use “ fewer ” for quantifiable items :
We have fewer hours to complete the project .
Toward “ Towards ” is the common British English usage , not the official American English usage .
Regardless Is the proper word . There is no such word as “ irregardless .”
A whole other Is the proper phrase . There is no such phrase as “ a whole nother .”
Words that combine without hyphens Nonetheless Notwithstanding Oftentimes
Adding “ wide ” to the end of a word : citywide , nationwide UNLESS it looks awkward : Universitywide should be hyphenated to University-wide .
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