Usage

Understanding Usage
How is language used differently in different

situations?
Standard and nonstandard English
Words confused or misused
Words with similar sounds
Words with related meanings
Formal and informal English
Double negatives
Review A
Review B
The U.S. has four major regional dialects: the

Northern, the Midland, the Southern, and the
Western.
Pronunciations and vocabulary vary from region

to region.
The kind of English you are expected to use in

school and work situations is called standard
English.
We learn standard English so that we can

communicate with and understand people from
different regions and cultures.
Standard English is
• grammatically correct
• appropriate in both formal
and informal situations
• more widely used than any other
variety of American English
• more accepted than any
other variety
Nonstandard English is suitable in casual

speaking situations. It can also be used when you
are writing dialogue.
Nonstandard does not mean

“wrong.” It means not
appropriate in situations
where standard English is
expected.
[End of Section]
In English, many words sound alike but are spelled

differently and have different meanings.
It’s/its
It’s is a contraction of it is or it has.
It’s time to leave. it’s = it is
It’s been a nice day. it’s = it has
Its is a possessive form that means “belonging

to it.”
The city must increase its water supply.
The possessive forms of

pronouns never have
apostrophes, even when the
form ends in s.
hers The red bike is hers.

yours What’s mine is yours.
ours Ours is the cleanest car.
theirs Has theirs arrived yet?
its The horse raised its head.
It’s/its
it is
I might buy this car. It’s in good

condition, and its engine is reliable.
belonging
to it
They’re/there/their
They’re is a contraction of they are.
They’re playing jazz music.
There is an adverb that means “at that place.”

There is also used to begin a sentence.
Did you get there on time? “at that place”
There will be a crowd at the mall. begins sentence

Their is the possessive form of they, meaning

“belonging to them.”
Did they make their own

costumes?
at that
place they are
Right there is the shop where they’re

having their bikes repaired.
belonging
to them
You’re/your
You’re is a contraction of you are.
You’re not angry, are you?
Your is the possessive form of you, meaning

“belonging to you.”
Does your brother go to college?
You’re/your
you are
When you’re done cooking,

please clean up your mess.
belongin
g to you
Who’s/whose
Who’s is a contraction of who is or who has.
Who’s the new math teacher? who’s = who is
Who’s been tutoring you? who’s = who has
Whose is the possessive form of who, meaning

“belonging to whom.”
Whose bracelet is this?
Who’s/whose
belonging
who is to whom
Who’s the player whose hand was injured?

Accept/except
Accept is a verb that means “to receive.”
Did you accept the gift?
Except is usually a preposition that means

“excluding.” Less often, it is a verb that means
“to leave out.”
Everyone except Kyle stayed. preposition
Mrs. Liu will not except

anyone from the deadline. verb
Could of/ought to of/should of

Of is a preposition. Do not use of in place of have
after verbs such as could, should, would, might,
must, and ought [to].
You should have come

of come over.
over.
We could have played

of played darts.
darts.
You ought to have

of asked
asked
meme
earlier.
earlier.
The reason people sometimes

write “could of” is that they are
thinking about the contraction
“could’ve.”
could’ve could + have

should’ve should + have
would’ve would + have
For each sentence, choose the correct word

or words in parentheses.
1. The snake is shedding (it’s, its) skin.
2. Juanita (excepted, accepted) the invitation.
3. They left (their, there) luggage downstairs.
4. Call me when (your, you’re) ready to leave.
5. (Whose, Who’s) singing the solo?

On Your Own
Some of the following sentences contain errors in the use
of standard English. Find and correct each error. If a
sentence is already correct, label it C.
1. Its a great day for flying a kite.
2. Did they say where they’re going for vacation?
3. I should of spent more time practicing free throws.
4. The dog is chewing its bone.
5. Whose glasses are lying on you’re desk?
6. All the actors knew there parts except Jeff.
[End of Section]
Fewer/less
Fewer is used with plural nouns.
Jared worked fewer hours
this week than last week.
Less is used with singular nouns.

Jared worked less time
this week than last week.
Fewer tells “how many.” Less tells

“how much.”
Good/well
Good is always an adjective. Do not use good
to modify a verb. Use the adverb well.
Adj.
Ernesto makes good salads.
Noun
Adverb
He and his sister both cook well.
Verb
Good/well
Well is usually an adverb that means
“capably,” but it is also used as an adjective to
mean “healthy.”
Adverb Adj.
Bret played well. Bret feels well today.
Verb Noun
adverb meaning adjective meaning

“capably” “healthy”
Words confused or
misused
Feel good and feel well have
different meanings. Feel good
means “to feel happy or pleased.”
Feel well means “to feel healthy.”
I feel good whenever I volunteer.
If you don’t feel well, you should

go home.
For each sentence, choose the correct word

in parentheses, according to standard usage.
1. Will you (bring, take) your first-aid kit when

you go camping?
2. Mike didn’t play as (good, well) today as he

usually does.
3. One of the mayor’s goals is to have (fewer,

less) pets entering the city shelter.
On Your Own
Some of the following sentences contain errors in the
use of standard English. Find and correct each error.
If a sentence is already correct, label it C.
1. Matt always feels good when he helps someone.
2. This tree has less apples than that one.
3. When you go to the game, please bring your
sister with you.
4. The debate team performed good at the
tournament.
[End of Section]
The term formal English is used for language

that is appropriate in serious speaking and writing
situations.
Please relax.
Chill out,
would ya?
Informal English
indicates standard
usage that is common
in conversations and
Oh, that
That’s wayis
everyday writing, such
terrific!
cool!
as personal letters.
Speeches at ceremonies
Formal English Serious papers, reports

expected
Tests and exams
Business letters and
interviews
Everyday conversations
Personal letters, e-mails
Informal
Journal entries English okay
Some newspaper and
magazine writing
Formal English Informal English
Sentence structure: Sentence structure:

• longer • shorter
• more complex • simpler
Word choice: Word choice:
• precise • simple
• sometimes technical • colloquialisms, slang,
or scientific contractions
Tone: Tone:
• serious, dignified • conversational
Many words and phrases that

are fine in informal situations
should be avoided in formal
situations.
How come
In formal situations, use why.
Informal How come you overslept?
Formal Why did you oversleep?

Kind of/sort of
In formal situations, use rather or somewhat.
Informal You seem kind of nervous.
Formal You seem somewhat nervous.

Try and
In formal situations, use try to.
Do not try and shovel all that

snow at once.
Do not try to shovel all that

snow at once.
Tell whether the following sentences use

informal (I) or formal (F) language. If the language is
informal, provide the formal alternative.
1. Fred was rather disappointed with his grade.
2. How come you didn’t go to practice?
3. Please try and be on time for the field trip.
4. The roads are still kind of icy.

On Your Own
Revise each sentence, changing the informal usage to

formal, standard usage. If a sentence is correct, label
it C.
1. It has been sort of humid all week.
2. She tried to eat the whole cookie in one bite.
3. How come Leila had to buy all the decorations for
the party?
4. Caleb has decided to try and go to the same
college as his sister.
[End of Section]
Double negatives
In a double negative, two or more negative

words are used when only one is needed.
Negative #1
Incorrect I haven’t never seensuch

never seen such aa
big pumpkin.
Negative #2
Double negatives often occur when

not is part of a contraction.
Double negatives
Common Negative Words
barely no not (n’t)
hardly nobody nothing
neither none nowhere
never no one scarcely

Double negatives
To fix a double negative, change either of the

negative words.
Negative Negative
Incorrect Marc didn’t buy nothing at the mall.

Correct Marc didn’t buy anything at the mall.
OR
Marc bought nothing at the mall.

Double negatives
To fix a double negative containing barely, hardly,

or scarcely, delete not or n’t.
Negative
Negative
Incorrect The puppy couldn’t hardly walk.
Correct could hardly

The puppy couldn’t walk.
hardly walk.
Double negatives
But and only are negative words
when they mean “no more than.”
In such cases, using another
negative word with but or only is
considered informal.
Informal I could not help but laugh.
Formal I could not help laughing.

Double negatives
Tell whether each sentence contains a double

negative (D) or is correctly written (C). If the sentence
contains a double negative, identify both negative words.
1. We didn’t bring no extra food with us.
2. Do not touch nothing on my desk!
3. Nothing I could say now would make any

difference.
4. Lou couldn’t hardly keep from smiling.

Double negatives
On Your Own
Correct the double negative in each sentence.

1. Tom didn’t have no time to buy the books.
2. Didn’t none of you see the dog?
3. The light was so dim we couldn’t barely see.
4. She hadn’t never tasted papaya before.
[End of Section]
Review A
For each sentence, choose the correct word in parentheses,

according to formal, standard usage.
1. Will you (bring, take) this book to Jonah when you go to
his house?
2. You must learn to (accept, except) criticism graciously.
3. The waves look (kind of, rather) high this morning.
4. (Who’s, Whose) car is parked out front?
5. The horse behaves (good, well) when we brush (its, it’s)
mane.
6. Judy is going to (try and, try to) play tennis today.
[End of Section]
Review B
Revise each sentence to make it correct according to formal,

standard usage.
1. Did Jim ever explain how come he was so late?
2. It didn’t hardly rain at all last night.
3. You will make less mistakes if you are more careful.
4. There Great Dane is taller than you’re Irish Wolfhound.
5. Randy doesn’t take no shortcuts when he writes a paper.
6. Kevin should of asked more politely.
[End of Section]
The End

Usage

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Understanding Usage

How is language used differently in different

The U.S. has four major regional dialects: the

Pronunciations and vocabulary vary from region

The kind of English you are expected to use in

We learn standard English so that we can

Nonstandard English is suitable in casual

Nonstandard does not mean

In English, many words sound alike but are spelled

It’s been a nice day. it’s = it has

Its is a possessive form that means “belonging

The possessive forms of

hers The red bike is hers.

I might buy this car. It’s in good

There is an adverb that means “at that place.”

Did you get there on time? “at that place”

There will be a crowd at the mall. begins sentence

Their is the possessive form of they, meaning

Did they make their own

Right there is the shop where they’re

Your is the possessive form of you, meaning

When you’re done cooking,

Who’s been tutoring you? who’s = who has

Whose is the possessive form of who, meaning

Who’s the player whose hand was injured?

Except is usually a preposition that means

Mrs. Liu will not except

Could of/ought to of/should of

You should have come

We could have played

You ought to have

The reason people sometimes

could’ve could + have

For each sentence, choose the correct word

1. The snake is shedding (it’s, its) skin.

2. Juanita (excepted, accepted) the invitation.

3. They left (their, there) luggage downstairs.

4. Call me when (your, you’re) ready to leave.

5. (Whose, Who’s) singing the solo?

Less is used with singular nouns.

Fewer tells “how many.” Less tells

adverb meaning adjective meaning

I feel good whenever I volunteer.

If you don’t feel well, you should

For each sentence, choose the correct word

1. Will you (bring, take) your first-aid kit when

2. Mike didn’t play as (good, well) today as he

3. One of the mayor’s goals is to have (fewer,

The term formal English is used for language

Formal English Serious papers, reports

Formal English Informal English

Sentence structure: Sentence structure:

Many words and phrases that

Formal Why did you oversleep?

Informal You seem kind of nervous.

Formal You seem somewhat nervous.

Do not try and shovel all that

Do not try to shovel all that

Tell whether the following sentences use

1. Fred was rather disappointed with his grade.

2. How come you didn’t go to practice?

3. Please try and be on time for the field trip.

4. The roads are still kind of icy.

Revise each sentence, changing the informal usage to