Via this column, we'll explore one grammar rule each week. If you have a grammar question you'd like me to address, please drop me a line at grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com and I'll do my best to answer it.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful American holiday where we get to reflect on what we're grateful for in our lives, spend time with family and friends, and of course, eat a lot of delicious food.

On the other hand, Thanksgiving can also be very stressful -- slaving away over the stove and oven all day or sitting in traffic for hours; bickering with in-laws over the best football team; and of course, eating and drinking until you think you might die. (Not to mention the mandatory turkey-only diet that ensues for days afterwards.)

Thanksgiving comes but once a year, and for some of us, that's what we're really thankful for.

How does Thanksgiving effect you? Or does it affect you? This week, we're discussing "affect versus effect" using Thanksgiving-themed examples.

Main Rule: Most of the time, use affect (with an A) as a verb, and use effect (with an E) as a noun.

Affect with an A is a verb that means "to influence":

• Turkey can affect your ability to stay awake, especially when your Great Aunt Gertrude is making another one of her 20-minute toasts to our founding fathers.
• Affected by alcohol, Uncle Frank slammed the table again as he insisted that the Lions are better than the Packers.
• Dad is hiding in the basement; his in-laws always affect him in the weirdest ways.

Affect can also mean "to act in a way that you don't feel":

• Mom affected an air of indifference while Cousin Billy whined about his turkey being too dry.

Effect with an E is a noun with multiple definitions, but it basically means "as a result":

• The cranberry sauce and gravy had no effect on the dryness of the turkey.
• The effect of tryptophan is overrated.
• Overeating had no effect on my desire for pumpkin pie afterwards.

Rare Exceptions

Affect can be used as a noun when discussing the mood that someone appears to have:

• With the relatives gone, Dad displayed a content affect as he snuggled into his armchair to sleep off the food and wine.

Effect can be used as a verb that means "to bring about" or "to accomplish":

• Grandpa effected a humorous change in atmosphere when he tried to wear the turkey like a hat.

Via this column, we'll explore one grammar rule each week. If you have a grammar question you'd like me to address, please drop me a line at grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com and I'll do my best to answer it.

Homophonic heterographs are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and mean different things, like "piece" and "peace," for example.

Just as the meaning of our existence can be deceiving, so can the meaning of heterographs. This is why we need Neo to help us see through the grammar matrix and explain the reality of word usage!

They're vs. their vs. there

"There" describes the location of something. It's always used with variations of the verb "to be," as in are, is, was, were or has/have been.

• There is no spoon.
• The answer is out there, Neo, and it's looking for you.

"Their" is a form of "they" and is a possessive adjective, so it indicates the ownership of a noun. Replace it with "our" to test if it's correct.

• Yet, their strength and their speed are still based in a world that is built on rules.

"They're" is the contraction of "they are." If substituting it with "they are" doesn't work, then you've made a mistake. It can only be used as a subject and verb.

• They're coming for you, Neo, and I don't know what they're going to do.

Your vs. you're

"Your" is a form of ownership.

• To your left there is a window: open it.

"You're" is the contraction of "you are." If substituting it with "you are" doesn't work, then there's no other choice but to use "your."

• I know why you're here, Neo.

It's vs. Its

"Its" is a pronoun that shows ownership or possession.

• A triumph only equaled by its monumental failure.

"It's" is the contraction of "it is." If substituting it with "it is" doesn't work, then there's no other choice but to use "its."

• It's the question that drives us, Neo. It's the question that brought you here.

Also, check out Grammar Hammer: Avoiding Apostrophe Abominations for more info on contractions, including "it's."

Via this column, we'll explore one grammar rule each week. If you have a grammar question you'd like me to address, please drop me a line at grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com and I'll do my best to answer it.

This week, Sherlock Holmes and I will use step-by-step logic and deductive reasoning to get to the bottom of the infernal case of the semicolon. Grammar is afoot!

If a comma represents a brief pause, and a period represents a complete stop, then semicolons represent a moderate pause.

Semicolons are used in two main environments:

1. Semicolons can act as "super commas," which are used to separate units of a list when one or more of the units contain commas:

• Holmes found three clues: footprints, which were outside the door; a pistol, which was still loaded; and papers, which smelled of cyanide.
• The murderer visited three cities: Liverpool, England; Paisley, Scotland; and Lusaka, Zambia.

2. Semicolons can also be used to connect clauses:

Use a semicolon in place of a period to connect or form a bond between two statements (typically related or contrasting thoughts) where the conjunction has been left out:

• Professor Moriarty is a criminal mastermind; he is the "Napoleon of Crime."
• Watson received his medical degree in 1878; he is a surgeon.

Use a semicolon before transitional phrases or conjunctive adverbs that connect two clauses (like however, therefore, that is, namely, of course, for example, thus):

• The copper-haired girl was hired as a governess; however, she was unknowingly posing as her employer's daughter.
• One sister died with a shout of "It was the speckled band"; of course, Holmes knew she was referring to a swamp adder.

But don't use semicolons before simple conjunctions (words like but, and, or, nor, for, so, yet):

• Watson led from behind, but never gets the credit he deserves.
• Holmes had a brother named Mycroft and he was more brilliant than Holmes himself.

Optional: You may use a semicolon between two clauses when one has internal punctuation, or in other words, if one or more commas appear in the first or second clause:

• If Holmes can, he will give up cocaine; and if Watson can see it through, they will solve mysteries again.
• When Arthur Conan Doyle started writing the Sherlock Holmes short stories, he created the field of criminology; however, at the time, he never thought he was changing the world.

Semicolons are *always* placed outside of quotation marks. But check out Dear Gracie: Commas/Periods Inside or Outside of Quotation Marks? on the rules for periods and commas.

Via this column, we'll explore one grammar rule each week. If you have a grammar question you'd like me to address, please drop me a line at grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com and I'll do my best to answer it.

The Muppets' entertaining and hilarious skits have helped children (and adults) for over 30 years learn about culture, science, art, history, music, life and many other things -- but today the Muppets are going to teach us grammar! (Because who doesn't love the Muppets?!)

In particular, Kermit and crew will be used in examples to explain when to use who, that or which.

Here are the three main rules to determine when you should use who, that or which:

Rule 1: Who always refers to people (or Muppet characters), while that and which refer to groups or things.

• Kermit is the cautious frog who loves Miss Piggy. (No, wait -- Miss Piggy is the sassy swine who loves Kermit.)
• Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem is the band that plays rock music on the show.
• Jim Henson created "The Muppet Show," which premiered in 1976.

Rule 2: Use that in essential clauses and which in nonessential clauses.

• I love Muppet movies that include Fozzie Bear (wocka wocka wocka!)
• "The Muppets Take Manhattan," which included Fozzie Bear, was the best.
• Fozzie Bear wears a hat, which is brown.

Essential clauses are never surrounded by commas, but non-essential clauses are usually surrounded by commas or preceded by a comma.

Another way to tell if a clause is essential or non-essential is to remove it and see if the meaning of the sentence has changed significantly. Here are the same examples with the clause removed:

• I love Muppet movies. (different, essential)
• "The Muppets Take Manhattan" was the best. (same, non-essential)
• Fozzie Bear wears a hat. (same, non-essential)

Rule 3: If this, that, these or those is already introducing an essential clause, start the next clause with which, regardless of whether it is essential or not

• That is an experiment which only Dr. Bunsen Honeydew can handle.
• Those daredevil performances, which always made me afraid for Gonzo, were still very artistic.

Or you can just drop the which entirely to make it sound more concise:

• That is a drumline which only Animal knows.
• That is a drumline only Animal knows.

Via this column, we'll explore one grammar rule each week. If you have a grammar question you'd like me to address, please drop me a line at grace.lavigne@prnewswire.com and I'll do my best to answer it.

You no longer need to hide from apostrophes! Today we're reviewing the rules of apostrophes using spooky examples to chase away this grammar nightmare -- just in time for Halloween!

We use apostrophes for two main reasons:

1. To signify the exclusion of a letter in a contraction:

• I'm/I am going to dress up as Carmen Sandiego for Halloween.
• You can't/cannot dress up Freddie! (or I'll have nightmares…)
• You're/You are going to be Indiana Jones instead.

2. We also use apostrophes to show possession (which is to own something) of singular and plural nouns:

• If a word is simply plural, don't use an apostrophe:
  • I saw two kids fighting over candy corn.
  • How many chocolates have you eaten? (Too many.)
• But there are two exceptions:
  • If the word is a single letter:
    • How many e's are in "eerie"?
    • There are three m's in "mummy."
  • If a decade is abbreviated:
    • In the '90s, zombies took over the world.
    • Harry Houdini was born in the 1870s. (no apostrophe)

• To indicate possession, use an apostrophe:
  • The werewolf's face is repulsive.
  • The witch's cauldron is bubbling.
• But if the word is plural and possessive, put the apostrophe after the "s":
  • The werewolves' faces are repulsive.
  • The witches' cauldron is bubbling.
• Unless the word is already plural:
  • The children's faces were filled with fear.
  • The people's screams were bloodcurdling.

• If a name is possessive (and singular or plural) and ends in "s," drop the second "s":
  • Charles' gravestone is cracked.
  • The Mansons' plan was evil.

• Never use an apostrophe for pronouns, since they already indicate possession:
  • The mask is your's (wrong).
  • The cape is hers. (right)

Common Confusion:

• "its" vs. "it's"
  • Are you trying to say "it is" or "it has"? Use an apostrophe:
    • It's that black cat again.
    • It's been in the cemetery for a long time.
  • Are you indicating possession? No apostrophe:
    • The bat is known for its distinctive ears.
    • The skeleton lost its head.
  • If you're not sure, try replacing "it's" or "its" with "it is" (or "it has"). If it sounds OK, use an apostrophe:
    • The clown has its shoes off.
    • The clown has it is shoes off. (wrong, no apostrophe)
    • It's that creepy clown with no shoes again.
    • It is that creepy clown with no shoes again. (right, use apostrophe)
• The same rules apply for "whose" vs. "who's"
  • Possession
    • Whose wand is that?
    • A ghost whose time has come.
  • Contraction
    • Who's carving a pumpkin?
    • Who's seen his fangs?
  • If you're not sure, try replacing it with "who is" (or "who has"). If it sounds OK, use an apostrophe:
    • A wizard whose mind is evil.
    • A wizard who is mind is evil. (wrong, no apostrophe)
    • The wizard who's evil.
    • The wizard who is evil. (right, use apostrophe)