May 20 2011
If you're like most people, writing isn't much fun. Just because you're not a gifted scribe doesn't mean you shouldn't share your thoughts. After all, as an experienced professional, you've got valuable insights that could enlighten your peers and market your services, insights that would be best expressed in writing. You need to be sure that your literary gems have a basic level of grammatical accuracy if you don't want your message to get lost through the "noise" of your mistakes.
We all have a few pesky bad grammar habits that we just can't seem to break. If you're a victim to any of the mistakes I'm about to mention, it's time to tape the list up on your wall, stick a post-it on your laptop, or have a colleague proofread your work.
I'm going to cover the first 5 mistakes here. Part Two will cover the next 5 mistakes.
The Contest
Let's be clear: I'm a writer, not an English teacher. These grammar rules have come from my own research and experience. So, I think it might be fun to have a little contest. Prove me wrong on any of these rules or examples and I'll write an article in your honor!
Ready? Let's go!
1. Apostrophes in the Wrong Place
Misplaced apostrophes pepper the writing of many bright people. Two great examples: "you're" and "it's."
2. Missing Commas
Commas are absolutely essential for an accurate and unambiguous sentence. However, it's not uncommon to find commas missing from a series of items, after an introductory dependent clause, between two independent clauses, or from nonrestrictive clauses.
3. Who Did What? (a.k.a. Misplaced Modifier)
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is incorrectly separated from the word it describes. It can make a serious sentence sound totally silly.
4. They're, Their, and There
"They're" is a contraction for "they are." Examples of proper use include "they're fantastic" or "they're colorful." This should not be confused with "their," a possessive pronoun. Examples of proper use include "their house" or "their blog." Finally, it's important not to misuse "there," which is used to refer to a place. For example, we could say "It's over there," or, "We should go there."
5. Effect vs. Affect
This is a tricky one! Let me break it down for you.
Unfortunately, there are exceptions to every rule. For instance, "affect" can be used as a psychological term to describe someone's apparent mood or as a way to say that someone is acting in a way that they don't feel. When used as a verb, "effect" means "to bring about" or "to accomplish."
Stay tuned for the next 5 grammar mistakes to avoid. In the meantime, happy writing!