Avoid 'idiotic' mistakes in English grammar, usage
If you're one of those people guilty of writing "more THEN" when the correct usage is ALWAYS "more THAN" -- you're one of the "language idiots" I'm targeting here.
Let's face it, anyone who writes or speaks English in any of its many forms makes mitsakes -- I mean, mistakes! -- so that's a given. But, please, I'm begging you, try to avoid the most idiotic such misuses. Please. Here, let me help you ...
Contents at a Glance
- Join me at 'WritingTips at GarySpeer.com'
- Top English language usage 'pet peeves'
- Think when you write
Join me at 'WritingTips at GarySpeer.com'
For several years I've been puzzling over the art (luck) of writing readable English, both fiction and non-fiction. Come join me!
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byTop English language usage 'pet peeves'
Pick your candidate for 'most idiotic' written English ...
You know there are matters of English grammar usage, spelling, punctuation, and other errors that just make your teeth ache, don't you? Which ones hurt you the most??
Think when you write
Please, I'm begging you, as a writer don't be guilty of really, glaringly "idiotic" English grammar and usage errors. Work at getting it right. Here are some tips to help you.
My choice for most idiotic writing 'pet peeve' goes to ...
Writers should NEVER confuse 'then/than'
I don't know why that particular idiotic mistake bothers me so much, but it does. Some months ago I bought an Internet marketing course from a man with a wide following and very successful marketing business, who simply ALWAYS writes "more then" instead of "more than."
I even dropped him an email about the misusage. He found that very funny. His excuse was that he feels teaching people how to make money is far more important than correct grammar or usage. I could personally never make myself spend another dime on his written materials.
I wonder how many other customers he's lost simply because of glaringly bad language usage??
Here's the drill: The word "THEN" means "at that time" or "in that case." The word "THAN" serves as both a conjunction and a preposition and carries with it the idea of comparison.
Example:
"When he praised tabloid TV, THEN she realized she was far more intelligent THAN he."
Get it? "then" conveys sequence or time in that sentence; "than" compares her intelligence and his.
Simple, right? Yes, it really IS that simple. My simple "rule of thumb" to keep them straight -- "more than" is always correct usage, "more then" is NEVER correct usage.
Other contenders for idiotic English grammar and usage errors ...
Now that I've ranted about my biggest 'pet peeve,' here are some others
Ah, I feel much better now. I cannot tell you the number of times I've seen "more THEN" instead of "more THAN" all over the Internet -- including right here on Squidoo.com, and by people who are honest-to-goodness professional writers.Unforgivable.
And now the "contenders" that don't gripe me as badly as "then/than." In fact, some of these lesser idiotic English language errors are tricky and therefore more forgivable.
Confusing "its" with "it's":
"Its" is a possessive form of "it," meaning "belonging to it." "It's" is the contraction for "it is." The confusion, I suspect, is because most words form the possessive by adding "apostrophe s" to a word. It's not that way in this case.
I don't have a good "rule of thumb" on this one except this: Contractions (when two words are "joined" to become a single word) ALWAYS have an apostrophe. So when you see the word "it's" -- it ALWAYS means "it is."
Confusing "your" and "you're":
I'm always puzzled when people mix up these two words. They really aren't as similar in spelling or written form as "its" and "it's," but for whatever reason, they are frequently confused in writing.
The difference here is simple. "Your" is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to you." "You're" is a contraction for the two words "you" and "are."
Example: "If you keep messing around like that YOU'RE never going to get YOUR homework done."
No excuse, really, for confusing the two. Stop being so careless when you write and you'll never get "your" and "you're" mixed up again.
Failing to capitalize "is" as part of a headline or title:
When a headline or title is written in "clc," that means the first word, subject, verb, and most significant words four characters long or longer are capitalized.
Example: "This Title Demonstrates the Style in Question"
In that example, "the" and "in" aren't capitalized because they are not major parts of speech and they are less than four characters long.
Example: "This Title Is a Little Different"
In that example, "Is" is capitalized. Why? Because it is the verb in the sentence making up the title. True, it's only two characters long. But it is one of the primary parts of speech making up the title.
Simple rule of thumb on this one: Verbs used in titles or headlines which are written in "clc" style are ALWAYS capitalized.
WHAT you write is much more important than exactly HOW you write it, don't you think? Or do you?
How do you feel about written grammar or usage errors?
Here's you chance to sound off. Can writers be too "picky" about all the fine points of grammar and usage? Isn't it really more important to communicate than to worry about all the details?
Do concerns about grammar, usage hinder your writing?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byNo, I just write what I want to say and don't worry about it!
purplebear says:
Hmmmm, this is a bit of a toughie for me. lol :) I don't in any stretch of even the wildest of imaginations consider myself to be a writer, so I suppose I can be very lenient on myself. lol :)I envy your ability Gary and definitely think it is maybe a gift but also you're very much a smarty one and I suppose have also applied what you have learned about writing very well. :)
I on the other hand am afraid I must make you and others utterly cringe (probably more like is very painful to read what I write lol :) )
Wish I could say I've learned all the proper ways to write but sadly haven't (or if so, have forgotten)but most definitely appreciate reading those of you who have.:):)
Am afraid I don't think enough before writing anything. If I did, I'd never write anything. I pretty much type or write as I'm thinking. (umm as you know, very long typing or writing lol )
So, I'm not really sure where to put myself on this question. I suppose maybe this:
To those professional writers or those who write material that the rest of us non-professionals but would like to be (writer wannabees)very much enjoy reading.....yes, you should be picky towards yourself and fellow professional type writers. :)
But.....for us non-professional types.....be very, very, very forgiving :):)Otherwise, I'm afraid we'd only have a world of professional types who are very, very, very good at their writing and then sadly those of us who aren't would have to remain silent all the time. :(
I do very much worry about how I write but have accepted to a degree I guess that in order to get anything done I have to accept the fact that my writing my thoughts...just isn't very pretty most times. Otherwise if I thought and thought about everything I write, I'd hit delete most times. lol :) I do try.....but my knowledge just isn't there.:( That's why I enjoy reading how you and others write:)I do write, but do worry about it, just realistically wouldn't get anything done at all if I kept worrying about it. ummm as you can see with this lol :) It's taking me much longer to write this since I'm thinking and I'm sure I'm still not getting it right and it's just becoming longer and longer. lol :(
I wanted to comment tho that I love this lens:) You've done a really great job, I'm bookmarking it and hope to be able to come back to learn (and remember):)
ps - great finding another buddy of mine here:) you'll find making these little squidoos to be quite addictive. lol :)
Posted November 20, 2008
Yes, if I can't get it right I don't write it!
Susan52 says:
I write, but then I edit and often spend more time deciding on proper usage and sentence structure than I did writing it in the first place. The concerns definitely slow me down, but the extra time is worth it in the end, I think.
Posted November 26, 2008
KimberlyDawnWells says:
I edit as I write, so I'm always trying to get it right.
Posted November 19, 2008
Zani-doo says:
In a rough draft, it's not a concern. However, if you want your writing to be the best it can be, you have to have a careful eye and know the rules of grammar as you revise and rewrite. Ultimately, a publisher is going to be checking the grammar.
Posted November 19, 2008
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Useful websites for writers and readers of the English language
- Just a Guy Who Reads the Papers
- Political news, views, opinions, and even a little bit of writing. Disgustingly left-of-center-to-outright-liberal guy writes this stuff.
- Merriam-Webster Online
- Great collection of basic writing tools online. Bookmark this site and go back often.
- The Washington Post
- For generations, "The Washington Post" has been a newspaper of record. Their website is a treasure trove of news, editorial opinions, and great information.
- The New York Times
- This really is one website all writers should go to daily. "The New York Times" really has been THE "paper of record" for much of our nation's history. Whether you're a liberal, conservative, or anywhere in between, you should know what's happening at the Times.
- Dictionary-Reference Tools
- Dictionary.com and related sites has been around awhile. Some of the services here are free, some require "premium" (paid) membership. But there are some useful tools for writers here.
Blogs for writers
- [Grammar] Please check my detective story for grammatical mistakes ...
- Thanks It was rainy, gray autumn night. I had been teaching my students about forensics, when my partner rang to say there had been a murder in my neighborhood. I was shocked. My neighborhood has been.
- The Grammar Police Must Be Helped
- No matter how refined your writing may be, there is one thing you as a citizen journalists should fear more than anything ? the grammar and spelling police. You could literally be the only reporter to take note of a huge asteroid about to ... Where would any of us be without our English 101 professors any way? I think the problem with ?grammar gods? is the way they put things really. Ever notice how blunt and rude they can often be? Well this is an indicator of just how ...
- The Best of the Magazine Markets « Freelance Writing Books « Books ...
- Free demo. English Grammar Checker Fix and Enrich text in a few steps with WhiteSmoke's English grammar checker. Free demo. English Grammar Checker Fix and Enrich text in a few steps with WhiteSmoke's English grammar checker. Free demo. ...
- Whitesmoke Writer Review: Final Version of The Best Writing ...
- WhiteSmoke Writer is the latest version of WhiteSmoke's acclaimed writing and grammar software. A significant upgrade from WhiteSmoke 2009, WhiteSmoke Writer introduces new features and enhancements that make correcting and enhancing ... English as a second language, and by corporate professionals writing business reports and documentation. Any who is writing English, either online or on the desktop, can benefit from WhiteSmoke Writer's text correction and enhancement. ...
Go ahead, tell us about your English language "pet peeves"
Whether you think something grievous enough to be dubbed an "idiotic" English grammar or usage error -- or something that just irritates you -- tell us about it.
access2 wrote...
Generally, you only get one chance to establish your credibility in an online article, and egregious grammatical errors will kill you faster than anything else. If you can't write, you really can't expect to persuade.
Posted July 18, 2009
GarySpeer wrote...
Really reassuring to know there are still writers out there who CARE and who get annoyed as I do with idiotic language mistakes.
Posted November 26, 2008
Susan52 wrote...
"Banana's 49 cents a pound." "Tomatoe's 99 cents a pound." Ack! I can barely shop for produce with my eyes open! (I love grammar pet peeve lenses. Leaving you a SquidAngel blessing for this one!)
Posted November 26, 2008
KimberlyDawnWells wrote...
"If your not 21, do not enter this bar." UGH! Bar or not, it's a business, at least spell words right on "you're" sign.
Posted November 19, 2008
by GarySpeer
I'm a professional writer and editor with more than 30 years experience, including seven years as a newspaper copy editor.
I spent seven happy year...
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