Who vs. Whom Use Who and Whoever for subject pronouns. Use Whom and Whomever for object pronouns. All usually occur in subordinate clauses. In the play, Glengarry Glen Ross, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado, which  goes to the guy who sells the most real estate. Second prize is a set of steak knives. [...]

Numbers If a number is one or two words, or begins a sentence, spell it out. Otherwise, use figures. Wrong: For 13 tortuous dates, I had to listen to Tiffany’s inane chatter about her ex-boyfriend, her manicures, her hemorrhoids, and I had to watch her light up the hash pipe before we boinked. But those [...]

Don’t Shift  Tense Keep verbs in the same tense, damn it! If you write a paragraph in the simple past tense, then put  all verbs in that paragraph  in the simple past tense. If you write in the present tense, then all verbs in that paragraph must be in the present tense. Examine the following [...]

The Dash Use two hyphens to form a dash—also called an m dash—with no spaces between the hyphens. A hyphen (used to form compound words) is not a dash Use a dash to make a parenthetical statement while avoiding the formality of parentheses: Pork chops—I want them, I need them, I’ve got to eat them—have [...]