Which is correct?
Because online security is still far from perfect, there are _____ things to consider before launching into Cyber Monday shopping.
a. few
b. a few

Answer: b.

Explanation:
Although the difference between few and a few is subtle, mixing them up can totally change the meaning of your sentence.

A few translates to some: There are some things to consider before you start shopping online, because security is important. There may not be a large number of things to consider but the emphasis is on the fact that there are issues that you really should address before you start typing in your credit card number with merry abandon.

Few, used separately, translates to not many or an insignificant number. That wouldn’t make sense, in the context of security concerns about online shopping because it puts the emphasis on the small number of things to consider.

Lynn Gaertner-Johnson explains more about the difference between few and a few.

There’s a similar difference between little and a little.

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a. not that big a deal
b. not that big of a deal

Answer: a.

Explanation:
“Not that big of a deal” is non-standard grammar. However, it’s increasingly common, especially in the U.S.

This seems like a good one to Google for a snapshot of use. Let’s see …

Not that big a deal: 9,610,000
Not that big of a deal: 21,100,000

Wow. Over twice as many instances of the wrong phrase … and you know what that means: “Not that big of a deal” is going to become standard. Language changes and rules change to follow. There’s nothing we can do to change that, so there’s no point in making too big a deal of it.

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Explanation:
This post is a response to a cry for help arriving in my email.

Subject line: This bugs me!

Message: I was just reading a gardening blog and came across this: “Try and remove as much of the plant as possible, as some will grow back from remaining roots.” Shouldn’t this read “try to” rather than “try and”? I see and hear this frequently! ARGH!

You’re right, Joan Diamond — and this post is for you! It should, of course, say “try to.” I don’t think anyone ever says “attempt and” but they surely substitute “and” for “to” in other phrases like “be sure and” instead of “be sure to.”

I think it’s time to poll the musicians again, check their grammar:

Rock and Roll Grammar Test
The Eagles failed on the Hotel California album with their song “Try and Love Again.” Donovan scored a grammar fail, too, when he wrote “Ah but I may as well try and catch the wind.”

Coldplay was both poignant AND grammatically correct, singing “I will try to fix you.” But… Drumroll please! Heart gets the gold for the way they pounded the grammar into our heads with their lyric, “Try to understand. Try to understand. Try, try, try to understand… he’s a magic man, Mama.”

As demonstrated by Google suggestions, a lot of people apparently search for the lyrics to “try and remember” unaware that the actual title is “Try to Remember.” (It was written about 50 years ago, when grammar was more popular.) When I tried “try to,” Google suggestions that popped up included “try to remember lyrics” and “try to remember forget lyrics.” Which I understand, I guess. Let’s try to remember to forget the “try and remember” lyrics.

Full disclosure: Joan Diamond is my sister, and she and I have probably sung most of these lyrics loudly and repeatedly, with a total disregard for the grammatical issues. Nevertheless, I suspect we sang the Heart lyrics with particular enthusiasm.

You can send me grammar questions, suggestions and pet peeves, too — even those of you I’m not related to and may have never sung with.

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Answer: a

Explanation:
The verb form is two words. As a noun or adjective it’s one. Once you set up your network properly, you should have a secure setup. And it shouldn’t take too long if you don’t run into too many setup glitches.

There are a lot of similar cases that people tend to get confused about. Here’s a list with a few more examples:

Verb: work out– I was too tired to work out very hard.

Noun: workout — I did my workout every day, even if it was a lame effort.

Adjective: workout — I need a new workout playlist to motivate me.

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Verb: check out– You should always go over your order carefully before you check out.

Noun: checkout — I didn’t realize the manual was missing until I got to the checkout.

Adjective: checkout — I’ll be more careful in future so I can avoid getting glared at by the checkout attendant.

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Verb: back up – I forgot to back up my data last night.

Noun: backup — I got yelled at for not creating a backup and losing my changes.

Adjective: backup — I hope I never forget to make a backup copy again.

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Verb: make up — I’ll just make up some excuse about my grandmother dying to explain why my paper is late.

Noun: makeup — The makeup of my essay doesn’t follow the instructions.

Adjective: makeup — Darn! I forgot to write my makeup paper — and I’ve run out of grandmothers.

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Verb: drop out — I had to drop out of school after that essay fiasco.

Noun: drop-out — Now I’m a drop-out.

Adjective: drop-out — I’m exploring options for drop-out reentry programs that I can manage along with my checkout attendant job.

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Here are some resources for setting up a wireless LAN.

Now be safe out there, kids, get your work in on time, and look after your grandmothers.

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