r/grammar • • Nov 16 '25

A couple of reminders, and checking in with you all

52 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. It's been a while since I made a pinned post, and a couple of issues have come up recently, so I thought I'd mention those and also give you a chance to bring up anything else that you think needs attention.

First, we get a lot of questions about things that fall outside of the narrowest definition of "grammar," and there are usually a fair number of comments on these posts that point this out. But the vast majority of these questions are fine! As you can see from the sub description, rules, and FAQ articles, we adhere to a pretty broad definition of "grammar," and we welcome questions about style, punctuation, vocabulary, usage, semantics, pragmatics, and other linguistic subfields (and this is not an exhaustive list).

So when commenting on posts like this, there's no need to say "This isn't about grammar" or to direct the OP to another subreddit - if the question has anything to do with language or orthography, it's probably appropriate for the sub. I remove any posts that are not, and you can also report a post if you think it really doesn't fit here.

One thing we don't do is proofread long pieces of writing (r/Proofreading is a good place for that), but we do welcome specific questions about short pieces of writing (a paragraph, a few random sentences, a piece of dialogue, etc.). And that brings me to the second issue:

We ask that commenters take into account the genre (e.g., fiction, journalism, academic writing) and register (the type of language used in a particular genre) of the writing that the poster is asking about. We get a lot of questions about creative writing, but some of the feedback given on these posts is more suited to very formal genres. For example, while you would probably advise someone to avoid sentence fragments in academic writing, these are not usually inappropriate in creative writing (used wisely, of course). Another thing to bear in mind is that punctuation conventions are generally more flexible in less formal genres. And for some genres, it may be necessary to consult an appropriate style guide in order to answer the OP's question.

So basically, please make sure to tailor your responses to the type of writing in question.

Thanks so much!

- Boglin007


r/grammar • • Apr 02 '23

Important: Re answers generated by ChatGPT and other AI programs

157 Upvotes

Update 5/24/26: Also prohibited are posts promoting the use of AI/LLMs to aid in language learning/grammar checking, and posts asking for comparisons of AI programs/LLMs, etc.

Hi everyone,

There has been a recent increase in comments using ChatGPT or other AI programs to answer questions in this sub. Unfortunately, these programs are not at all reliable when it comes to grammar questions (or any questions really). Some regular contributors to r/grammar have discussed the shortcomings of AI programs (mostly ChatGPT) - they have given me permission to use the quotes below (but have asked to remain anonymous):

OpenAI says ChatGPT was released in order to "get users’ feedback and learn about its strengths and weaknesses." The prompt page warns users that ChatGPT "may occasionally generate incorrect information" and "may occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content.”

ChatGPT's goal is to learn to produce speech equivalent to, and indistinguishable from, that of a human. ChatGPT's current goal is not to become a reliable source of information. (If that were its goal, they would allow it to access the huge libraries of information it is connected to. But that is not the current research goal.) ー I believe they have set it to occasionally make small mistakes, intentionally, in order to assess how the public reacts to these occasional errors (does the public blindly believe them/if the public challenges ChatGPT on these errors, can the program successfully handle these challenges well?).

And here is an example of an incorrect (or at the very best, incomplete/misleading) answer that ChatGPT gave to a pretty straightforward grammar question:

The question: “Should I use ‘that’ or ‘which’ in the following sentence?: ‘This is the house that/which I like.’”

ChatGPT’s answer:

Both "that" and "which" can be used in this sentence, but the choice depends on whether the information following the word is essential or non-essential to the sentence.

If the information is essential to the sentence and needed to identify the specific house you like, use "that". For example, "This is the house that I like" implies that there are other houses and you are identifying which one you like.

If the information is non-essential and simply provides additional information about the house, use "which". For example, "This is the house, which I like" implies that there is only one house and you are adding a comment about it.

So, in this case, if you want to emphasize that this particular house is the one you like, use "that". If you want to add an additional comment about the house, use "which".

The correct/complete answer:

Both “that” and “which” are grammatically correct in that sentence as written (without a comma) because without the comma, the relative clause is integrated, and both “that” and “which” can be used in integrated relative clauses. However, “that” will be strongly preferred in American English (both “that” and “which” are used about equally in integrated relative clauses in British English).

If you were to add a comma before the relative clause (making it supplementary), only “which” would be acceptable in today’s English.

ChatGPT also fails to mention that integrated relative clauses are not always essential to the meaning of the sentence and do not always serve to identify exactly what is being talked about (though that is probably their most common use) - it can be up to the writer to decide whether to make a relative clause integrated or supplementary. A writer might decide to integrate the relative clause simply to show that they feel the info is important to the overall meaning of the sentence.

Anyway, to get to the point: Comments that quote AI programs are not permitted in this sub and will be removed. If you must use one of these programs to start your research on a certain topic, please be sure to verify (using other reliable sources) that the answer is accurate, and please write your answer in your own words.

Thank you!


r/grammar • • 2h ago

quick grammar check Is the word “Your” a pronoun?

0 Upvotes

I read alternating views on whether the word “your” is a pronoun or a possessive adjective.


r/grammar • • 4h ago

A bit confused...

1 Upvotes

In class right now, so you're getting a live confusion report as a we speak.

THIS IS WHAT'S BEING SHOWN:

Inconsistent: If a student does not understand a problem, they should consult the instructor.

Revised: If a student does not understand a problem, he or she should consult the instructor.

Why is "they" a problem? I asked our teacher about this, literally two seconds ago, but I am still stumped. Anywhos, in primary school, I was taught that "they" was used when referring to those we do not know the gender of, yes? So how is this any different? Can't the students apply their own gendered pronoun themselves, without having to spell it out for them?


r/grammar • • 11h ago

Hi about "is" "are"

3 Upvotes

Can someone please explain

Hi can someone please explain sometimes we use "is" for plural stuff in English

For example i heard of "2 weeks is enough for a vacation"

Then can i say "there is a hundred dollars"

Or i should say "there are a hundred dollars" ?

Thanks...

I think when we speak collective and whole we say "is"


r/grammar • • 8h ago

punctuation Em dashes and commas

1 Upvotes

Sample sentence: He has been awake for half an hour, lying in bed—trying and failing to brute force his way back to sleep, when he finally decides to get out of bed and go outside.

So, I know this sentence is a bit wonky anyway and I will be changing it, but it works as an example for my question.

So, "lying in bed" is a little interrupted of the greater thought, "He has been awake for half an hour when he finally decides to get out of bed and go outside." That's simple. But, I'm interrupting that interruption with "--trying and failing to brute force his way back to sleep" and I'm not sure if I should close the em dash, close the comma, some third thing I'm not thinking of?

How would YOU write this sentence?


r/grammar • • 12h ago

quick grammar check product label icon text: is "artificial color-free" grammatically correct?

2 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 9h ago

Does this sound natural?

1 Upvotes

I put the key in the scooter's ignition and turned it.


r/grammar • • 6h ago

Word with lost letters- like smth: why?

0 Upvotes

Lately I've seen otherwise nicely, fully worded comments on Reddit that include one word that has been condensed so much that the first time I saw it, I had to ask what they were saying.

The word is smth. Why in an entire paragraph would someone use this odd term, but no other abbreviated words? Though I don't use them, at least "r" for "are" and "u" for "you" sound like the word they represent.

Just in case you can't parse it out, either, smth means "something". Do you use it, and why?


r/grammar • • 1d ago

quick grammar check Should there be a space between an ellipsis and the beginning of a quotation mark?

3 Upvotes

I'm writing a fiction story in a whimsical style but still want to follow certain grammar rules. One paragraph includes something like this:

Left, right, left, right..."What a mesmerizing sight!" He exclaimed.

I'm unsure whether I should put a space between that ellipsis and the open quotation mark. Feel free to correct any other grammar mistakes I've made. Thank you.


r/grammar • • 1d ago

quick grammar check Should "gods knew how many days of travel" be hyphenated?

1 Upvotes

I'm going crazy trying to figure this out using Chicago style's hyphenation rules. Should it be...

  • Despite gods knew how many days of travel...

Or...

  • Despite gods-knew-how-many days of travel...

Part of me thinks the second because I think "gods knew how many" is an adjectival phrase modifying the noun "days." But it also doesn't look right. I'm at the point where I've gone back and forth on this so much I don't even know what rules are in play here.

So, which is it? Again, using Chicago style—18th edition, specifically.


r/grammar • • 1d ago

quick grammar check I've been using its.not.5.nor4 as my username on a bunch of different sites but I was wondering if it is grammatically correct to use nor after not in this case

4 Upvotes

if its not i might change it to neither.5.nor4 or some other variation


r/grammar • • 2d ago

"If you had registered on time, you would have been able to attend next week's conference". Is this sentence grammatically correct. Should I have used a mixed conditional instead, since I wanted to talk about a future event?

7 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 1d ago

How to learn grammar ¿

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 1d ago

How to correct my grammar without using Ai

Thumbnail
0 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 2d ago

I need a English speaking friend

0 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 2d ago

Whats the meaning of this sentence

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 2d ago

Am i correct

1 Upvotes

Is my sentence a correct relative clause? And my second is reduced relative clause, are they correct?

"I am someone who lives in Istanbul and is looking for a job."

I am someone living in Istanbul and is looking for a job


r/grammar • • 3d ago

Why does English work this way? Why do 'springtime', 'summertime', and 'wintertime' make sense, but we don't say 'autumntime' or 'falltime'?

30 Upvotes

r/grammar • • 2d ago

punctuation Where do I put the apostrophe on this possessive(?) in a comparative sentence

5 Upvotes

High-context sentence, possessive bolded:

“The Atlanta women [referring to multiple women on the Real Housewives of Atlanta] are highly produced but they’re quick in how they argue, and are in a city filled with hustle culture so they have to be ‘on top of it’ in many ways the other franchise’s women [the women on other (city) of Real Housewives shows] don’t and it makes for great television.”

I’m aware the whole sentence is probably not grammatically correct but I don’t know the apostrophe/‘s’ situation on franchise


r/grammar • • 3d ago

Will you check my grammar?

8 Upvotes

Hello everyone! Will you check my grammar based on what I wrote below.

Recently, I've been enrolled in English. Am I nervous? Yes! Am I motivated? Also, yes. Hopefully I could go to college one day. Never thought I could be enrolled for college level English. Please pray for me.


r/grammar • • 3d ago

It was almost scary

2 Upvotes

Hi,

What type of phrase is "it was almost scary"? It's not an idiom I don't think, but it's also not a literal statement. It has inuendo. I have tried googling to find out, but the AI-based algorhythms are certainly not serving up any intelligent hits, so I decided to try actual intelligence. I just keep getting sites that want to give idioms for scary, and I know that's not what I'm looking for. I'm creating a vocab lesson for advanced TEFL students and I want to get this right. Anyone have any helpful input?

Thanks!


r/grammar • • 3d ago

Is "whom" dying in everyday writing? When should I still use it formally?

11 Upvotes

I’ve been editing an academic essay and caught myself second-guessing “whom” repeatedly. I know the traditional rule: use “whom” for object pronouns, “who” for subjects. But I keep seeing native writers skip “whom” entirely in published articles, even in semi-formal texts.

Example 1: Who did you meet? (Traditionally “Whom did you meet?”) Example 2: The author whom I cited changed their argument.

My understanding: “whom” is still grammatically correct as an object, but modern usage makes it sound stiff in most casual writing. Some linguists say it’s slowly disappearing from everyday English. But I’m worried that dropping “whom” in formal papers might look careless to strict readers.

So I’m confused about the practical boundary. Is there a simple rule of thumb? Should I keep “whom” only when it directly follows a preposition, like “to whom”? Or should I avoid it everywhere except very formal contexts?

I’d love to hear your views. Do you still use “whom” in your own writing? Are there cases where skipping it would actually sound wrong, not just informal?


r/grammar • • 3d ago

quick grammar check Need Help With Independent and Dependent Clauses

2 Upvotes

Her sore throat caused her to fear that she might have Covid, but it turned out to be merely the onset of a normal cold.

Ind: Her sore throat caused her to fear, it turned out to be merely the onset of a normal cold.

Dep: that she might have Covid

Sentence Type : Compound-Complex Sentence

Is this correct? I heard that Independent clause can have a dependent clause as its part but some people don't agree. This is for an assignment and my teachers didn't go over an example like this. Also, "that" is a coordinating conjunction , correct?


r/grammar • • 3d ago

quick grammar check To disappear, question

2 Upvotes

I am not native, reading a novel in english translated from japanese.

Are the below conj of disappear correct?

“.. and you’ll know that you’ve lost something, that something has been disappeared from the island”

“This is a kind of fabric called ribbon that was disappeared when I was just seven years old.”

tks