Q: I recently got into a grammar debate with my wife and would like you to settle things for us once and for all: Can you use contractions with a proper noun ("Jodie's in charge" instead of "Jodie is in charge")?—Benjamin W.

A: There are two main reasons to use apostrophes: 1. to form a possessive (Brian's baseball team wears green) and 2. to replace missing letters (Brian has a baseball jersey that's [that is] green). But does that replacement rule apply to names, places and things (Brian's a baseball fan)?

Whether it's a pronoun, plain noun or proper noun, it is acceptable to tack the apostrophe-s onto the end of nouns to replace "is." There are no rules against it. In fact, if you search in stylebooks, online grammar sources and the like, there really isn't any information floating around on this specific use of the apostrophe-s ('s). So I am hereby declaring this the Klems Rule (after all, I've always wanted a grammatical rule named after me).

To make sure something wasn't slipping past me, I contacted my fellow grammarian Bill Walsh, copy chief at The Washington Post and author of The Elephants of Style (McGraw-Hill) and asked him about this rule.

"If Brian's a baseball fan, then Brian's a baseball fan," Walsh says. "Aside from questions of formality, the only stumbling block might be if your proper noun ends in s—Washington's a great town, but Paris ... Paris just 'is.'"

Ultimately this is a style issue and you have the choice whether or not to apply it to your writing. If you're writing something formal, like a white paper or thesis, you probably shouldn't use it—then again, you probably shouldn't use any contractions. But if you're writing an article, short story or book, there's no reason you can't. And if someone challenges you, refer him to the Klems Rule.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: I've been told that I often misuse the phrase "begs the question" in my writing. Can you explain to me how to use this phrase correctly and give me an example? Thanks. —Anonymous

A: "Begging the question" is a phrase that's commonly misused. In fact, even I misused it once in an editor's note for my e-newsletter (special thanks to loyal reader Rachel Heslin for catching my misstep, though she's now off my Christmas card list—kidding ... I don't even have a Christmas card list). But the important thing is to get it correct in the future, so let's dive in and define this phrase.

The common misconception is that "begging the question" means to raise or ask a question: This week's writing prompt begs the question, "What are babies really talking about? That is wrong with a capital "W" and, if space permits, an exclamation point. "Begging the question" is a type of logical fallacy that deals with unproven premises and conclusions, which the sentence above doesn't contain.

Merriam-Webster defines "begging the question" as "to pass over or ignore a question by assuming it to be established or settled." In other words, it means that you're stating as fact what you are trying to prove. For example: Brian Klems is funny because he writes humorously. The conclusion is that Brian is funny. The premise assumes that he writes humorously. There's no evidence in the statement that supports the claim that he's funny. Therefore, the sentence should read: Brian Klems is funny because he writes humorously, but that argument begs the question of whether he writes humorously or not.

The term "begging the question" is just circular reasoning, so be sure to use the phrase only when that circular reasoning is being applied. If it's not, use "asks the question" or "raises the question."

But seriously, though, I am funny. I promise.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: I know “a” goes before words beginning with a consonant and “an” before words that start with a vowel. But it seems like lately it’s become fashionable in print to use “an” with any word beginning with the letter “h.” Try to say “an half an hour”: You’ll wind up with a sprained tongue! What’s the correct rule?—Tad C. Rhoden

A: It’s all about the sound of the first letter of the word following “a” or “an.” While “a” generally is used in front of consonants (a dog, a cat, a purple people-eater), every now and again, it creeps its way in front of words that begin with a “u” or “eu.” The true rule here is when the word following the article begins with a consonant sound, use “a.” For example: People gain knowledge and discipline at a university. I’m planning a European vacation in August. The “u” in “university” and “eu” in “European” make a “y” sound—a consonant sound—therefore, “a” is used.

On the flip side, “an” goes before words starting with a vowel sound (an elephant, an anteater, an obnoxious purple people-eater). Some consonants fall into this category, such as the letter “h.” When the “h” is silent—like in “hour” and “honor”—use “an”: Would you like me to bring an hors d’oeuvre? When you hear the “h,” stick with “a”: I’ll meet you in an hour and a half.

I hope that didn’t sprain your tongue too much.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: What's the difference between "i.e." and "e.g."? I thought they were interchangeable, but I was told that this isn't the case. Can you please explain?—Claire Collord

A: I used to have the most difficult time remembering this rule. After all, both of these terms are derived from Latin and I didn't take Latin in school—I opted for the Spanish class that was taught by an exceptionally attractive maestra (which may have explained the C-). But with a little help from a college friend, I was able to burn the i.e./e.g. grammatical law into my brain once and for all.
The rough translation is as follows:

i.e. means "that is."  (id est)
e.g. means "for example." (exempli gratia)

The difference here is that i.e. is exclusive while e.g. is a sample. They are not interchangeable because they change the meaning of the sentence. And if you substitute in the definitions, it'll help you determine which letter-combination you need.

Let's take these examples:

I like summer sports (e.g., baseball, softball, ultimate Frisbee). The sports mentioned (baseball, softball, ultimate Frisbee) represent a few of the summer sports that I like, but aren't the only ones I enjoy (I also like fishing, sand volleyball and golf). I'm just offering some examples. If you read this sentence as "I like summer sports (for example, baseball, softball, ultimate Frisbee)" you see what I mean. So the correct choice is e.g.

On the other hand, Sophie likes winter sports, i.e., skiing and hockey. This sentence indicates that Sophie likes the specific winter sports skiing and hockey, but not necessarily any other winter sports. You can read this sentence: Sophie likes winter sports, that is, skiing and hockey. So the choice here is i.e.

To burn these definitions into your memory and help remind you which letter-abbreviation pairs with which definition, you can follow this mnemonic device a college friend once taught me: i.e. is "in essence" while e.g. is "eggs sample."

"Eggs sample" may make me laugh each time I think about it, but I never forget the rule.

Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.

Q: Lay, lie, laid—when do you use each?
—Annemarie Valian

A: Don’t forget about “lain,” my friend! All these verbs have two things in common: They begin with the letter “L” and confuse the bejeezus out of many people.

Let’s give this a shot. Lay and lie are both present-tense verbs, but they don’t mean quite the same thing. Lay means to put or set something down, so if the subject is acting on an object, it’s “lay.” For example, I lay down the book. You, the subject, set down the book, the object.

Lie, on the other hand, is defined as, “to be, to stay or to assume rest in a horizontal position,” so the subject is the one doing the lying—I lie down to sleep or When I pick up a copy of my favorite magazine, Writer’s Digest, I lie down to take in all its great information. In both these cases, you, the subject, are setting yourself down. Are you with me so far?

In the past tense, “lay” becomes “laid” (I laid down the law and told her it was inappropriate for her to pick her nose) and “lie” becomes “lay” (She lay down for a nap that afternoon and picked her nose anyway). Yes, “lay” is also the past tense of “lie.” And the confusion doesn’t end there.

To throw you for another loop, “laid” is also the past participle form of “lay.” So, when helping verbs are involved, “lay” becomes “laid” and “lie” becomes “lain.” Grandma had laid the chicken in the oven earlier this morning. The chicken had lain there all day until it was cooked all the way through and ready for us to eat.

Remember: Lay and laid both mean to set something down, while lie, lay and lain all mean the subject is setting itself down.

And now, I lay this question to rest.

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Infinitive    Definition         Present    Past    Past Participle    Present Participle

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to lay      to put or place     lay(s)      laid     laid                  laying
              something down        
      
to lie     to rest or recline    lie(s)       lay      lain                  lying

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Brian A. Klems is the online managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine.

Have a question for me? Feel free to post it in the comments section below or e-mail me at WritersDig@fwpubs.com with “Q&Q” in the subject line. Come back each Tuesday as I try to give you more insight into the writing life.