Shall I Compare Thee to/with a Summer’s Day?

A client recently asked an interesting question about whether we should use “with” or “to” when making a comparison.

I was sure that both could apply and I know that I have used both instinctively at different times but I was not certain why. Armed with a Shakespeare quote, my own rule has always been to use “compared to” and “in contrast with”, which is actually a handy way of sidestepping the issue (always a good idea with grammar if you’re not 100% sure).

While both are acceptable, this, it turns out, is actually the main point of difference and it all depends on the context.

Generally, we should use:

“compared to” 

when highlighting the similarities between things

“compared with” 

when pointing out the differences

While I had no doubt that Shakespeare got it right, the reason he did was because he was saying that his love was like a Summer’s day. Had he wanted to say that, in contrast with summer’s day, his love was as miserable as Winter, he could have used “with”. I’m glad he didn’t, though, as that would have made for a far less romantic sonnet.

(By the way, in case you're wondering why summer and winter have capital letters in some instances above, it's because they are personified, but that's another day's work!)

TOP 10 TIPS WHEN HIRING A COPYWRITER

Everything you always wanted to know about hiring a copywriter, but were afraid to ask. 

READ MY TOP 10 TIPS HERE

1.   Ask for samples of previous work (especially samples relevant to your particular job).

2.   When asking for a quote, give as much information as possible about what is required. Asking someone to quote for a 20 page website is like asking, “How long is a piece of string?”

3.   Make sure to allow time in the quote for changes.

4.   Don’t necessarily go for the cheapest quote. Take the level of experience of the copywriter and the quality of the work in their portfolio into account.

5.   Look out for any errors in emails they send you. Copywriters who do not proofread their own emails are unlikely to double-check your copy.

6.   Give as clear and detailed a brief as possible. The more information the copywriter has, the better the job they will be able to do, and clear briefs save valuable time and money.

7.   Set a realistic deadline. You won’t get the copywriter’s best work if they’re rushing to meet a deadline but a good copywriter may well do extra work and come up with better concept if they are given a bit of time on the job.

8.   Consolidate all changes into one request if possible. Making endless rounds of changes is unnecessary and wastes time for everyone.

9.   Give constructive feedback. Simply saying you don’t like the tone makes it very difficult to work out what is required.

10. Value the contribution of the copywriter. Copywriters have a valuable role to play in making the complicated simple and compelling, well written copy can really help to sell your product or service.

EYELASHE EXTENSIONS - What a beauty!

I'd love to think that this was a witty play on words but somehow I suspect not.

CAPITAL OFFENCES

Sure, capital letters signify importance but that doesn’t mean that everything important needs to be capitalised. That’s where things start to get really silly.

Take managing directors, for example. They think they’re terribly important and everyone else is afraid of offending them so we see much talk of “Managing Directors”, especially in business publications. 

Just because job titles are commonly capitalised, doesn't mean it's correct. The same goes for politicians and heads of state. An easy rule of thumb is to capitalise titles that come before names, but not titles that come after names.

For example:

President Michael D. Higgins was elected in 2011.

Michael D. Higgins is the ninth president of Ireland.

Children are now learning 

bad grammar in the playground...

It's no surprise that children have trouble with grammar when they're exposed to basic mistakes like this from an early age.

The word "children" is plural so the playground is designed for use by more than one child, therefore an apostrophe is needed after the "s".

Please keep an eye on your little one's what?

If I was going to the trouble of getting a sign made up, I would definitely go to the effort of proofreading it.

...in their story books...

Once upon a time there was a tank engine with a bit of a penchant for capital letters.

Thomas might have some hope of becoming a "really useful engine" if he could only stop using capital letters unnecessarily.

Thomas's driver and fireman are important but not so important that their job titles require caps. 

Pedantic, I know, but when you read the books a hundred times a day, you tend to notice these things.

...and even at the breakfast table.

Shhh! Don't tell anyone there's a mistake on the pack!

Kellogg's Rice Krispies are kindly offering a free "kids swim" at the moment. It might be an idea to also offer a free kids' grammar lesson to help make up for this mistake.

Shame about the headline!

Love is blind (and dumb)!

There’s nothing less romantic than a grammatically incorrect Valentine’s card. 

Every year people clearly blinded by love put the apostrophe in the wrong place or lose sight of it altogether.

So where should the apostrophe go?

It actually depends what you mean to say.

Valentine’s Day is called after Saint Valentine so, if that’s who you’re referring to, the apostrophe comes before the “s”. This is generally the most acceptable position.

However, the word “valentine” is also a term used to refer to a loved one so there's also an argument for putting it after the “s”, as in “Valentines' Day”, if that's what you mean.

So this year, whatever you're saying, make sure you say it with a correctly placed apostrophe.

Who says grammar's 
not life or death?

“Eats, Shoots & Leaves” may be on my top 10 favourite books list but not everyone thinks grammar is a matter of life and death. Luckily, some do...

The Over-Possessive Apostrophe

Yes, and they've gone a bit too far with that apostrophe!

I suppose when putting a euro sign in place of an "e" is your idea of creativity, what more could we expect? You can almost hear the cogs turning on this one... "It's more than one euro; isn't there a rule that says something about plurals and apostrophes? Ah sure I'll just stick one in to be on the safe side."

Paninis: know your limits

For me, it all started with a few paninis getting above their station. Appearing on sandwich boards all over town with their possessive apostrophes, acting like they owned the place. What exactly they did own was unclear but they were definitely getting above their station. They seemed to forget that they are just sandwiches, albeit toasted and on fancier bread. Pretty soon they were popping up everywhere and that’s when I realised I had a problem – I couldn’t ignore them.

Public grammar is getting worse and worse and, with the advent of “textspeak”, this deterioration looks set to continue. It’s getting to the point where people who use punctuation correctly are in such a small minority that they will soon have to use it incorrectly just to appear correct.

In spite of the general apathy to grammar, I decided to start a blog to expose the worst examples and to explore common conundrums as they arise. Most panini sellers don’t really care about apostrophes so this is the only way to get it off my chest. I also know that the few who do care about grammar really care so I’m hoping to connect with one or two kindred spirits.

Being a copywriter and a proofreader, I find myself constantly checking and double-checking the rules, which are by no means clear-cut, so I am never short of grammar topics to discuss. Although I get paid to proofread, I enjoy it so much I do it for free every day. Restaurant menus, takeaway fliers, handwritten signs, food packaging – you name it, I proofread it. Proofreading has become as automatic as reading for me.

I am aware that by blogging about grammar I am setting myself up to have all my own flaws pointed out to me. I do try my best but I am by no means infallible so I welcome any corrections that may arise.