Spelling & Grammar Guide for Common Writing Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Are you smarter than a 5th grader? You probably are, but look at how many highly intelligent contestants on that television show flunk out! It doesn't mean he or she is not smart or educated. It simply means he or she is HUMAN and it's been a long time since being in school. We all tend to forget the rules and every one of us has certain words we just can't ever seem to remember. (One word I can never remember how to spell is nausea.)
Don't leave your reader confused about what you mean! Some words that are used incorrectly can either completely change the meaning of the sentence or leave the reader confused. A perfect example is, "I am glad your back." That may leave someone wondering, "You are glad my back is WHAT? Is it sore? Is it on fire?" The following are some very familiar ones and the reasons of importance of correct usage.

PATIENCE/PATIENTS
Doctors have patients. You have to have to have patience while waiting to see the doctor.

FARTHER/FURTHER
"Farther" refers to physical distance and "further" refers to an extent of time or degree.
"Bob kicked the ball farther than Sally."
"You should look further into the problem."

TO/TOO/TWO
"I am going to the store."
"I am feeling hungry, too." Or "I want to go to the store, too."
"Jim has two broken fingers."

YOUR/YOU'RE
These are SO commonly misused. It drives me crazy!
"Your fly is open."
"You're getting on my nerves."

WHO/WHOM
"Who" is the subject form of this pronoun and "whom" is the object form.
"Who was making that awful noise at the banquet?" is correct because "who" is the subject of the sentence.
"Tim was so nervous that he forgot to whom he was supposed to give the award." This is correct because "whom" is the object of the preposition "to."

YOU/I
Unless you are Cookie Monster, a correct example how to use this rule is, "Between you and me%u2026" "Me" is used because it is the object of the preposition between. This is a tough one because "Between you and I" just seems to sound better.

LAY/LIE
Here is another example of when something sounds correct but is actually grammatically wrong because lay and lie are not interchangeable. Just remember these rules: "Lie" doesn't require an object. "Lay" does require an object. The confusion is the past tense of both verbs. In other words, for past tenses, lie becomes lay and lay becomes laid but the usage remains the same.
Example: "I want to lie down." This is correct. To make it incorrect, lay would be used. But I'm not an object. However, my head is an object. So, I could say, "I am going to lay my head on this pillow."

DRANK/DRUNK
Verbs change form when their past tense is preceded by an auxiliary ("helping") verb.
Wrong: "I drunk all the beer."
Right: "I've drunk the beer."

EVERYDAY/EVERY DAY
"Everyday" is used correctly here: "I'm going to change into my everyday clothes."
It is incorrect to write, "I take the dog for a walk everyday."
It should be "I take the dog for a walk every day."

EITHER/OR, NEITHER/NOR
Remember: "either" goes with "or" and "neither" with "nor": "I want to buy either a new car or a laptop, but I have neither the cash nor the required credit."

DISINTERESTED/UNINTERESTED
A bored person is uninterested. If someone is disinterested, it means the person is objective or neutral.

AFFECT/EFFECT
"Affect" is usually a verb meaning "have an influence on."
"The terrible suit he wore did not affect my decision to vote for him."
When you affect a situation, you have an effect on it.
Another example: The items in your storage bin are your personal effects.
Movies are made using sound effects and special effects.

• "PIN" means Personal Identification Number. If you say or write, "I forgot my PIN number," you are really stating you forgot your personal identification number number.


• "The reason is because..." This is wrong. You want to state, "The reason is that..." because the word reason IMPLIES because.


• "Merge together"


• "Comprised of"


• "Free gift" (Have you ever charged someone for a gift?)


• "Absolute necessity"


• "Very unique"


• "A pair of twins" (Unless you mean 2 sets of twins, of course.)

It is so easy for anyone to write how he or she speaks. In certain types of blogs, I purposely write the same as I would speak the words. I do this only in my lax blogs. I never write as I speak for articles or professional blogs or pieces. We speak often in slang but one must be careful not to write that way in a professional or in any more serious type of pieces in which we want to be taken seriously. However, the rule is obviously acceptable when we are quoting someone, such as in a novel.

Could of/Could have
Incorrect: "I could of picked him for the team but he is too slow."
Correct: "I could have picked him for the team but he is too slow."

Off of
This isn't so bad but actually, the "of" is unnecessary.

Mine as well/Might as well
I've caught myself attempting to do this until I rechecked my work.
Incorrect: "I mine as well just go home."
Correct: "I might as well just go home."

Another words/In other words
The phrase is not "another words." It is "in other words." Nuff said.

That/Who
A human is a "who" and anything else (including animals) is a "that." I don't agree with pets being considered a "that" but it is the rule!
Incorrect: "The person that made this mess is going to get in trouble."
Correct: "The person who made this mess is going to get in trouble."

Nauseous/Nauseated
Nauseous means to cause nausea and nauseated means one is afflicted with nausea.
Incorrect: "I feel nauseous."
Correct: "I feel nauseated."

"For all intensive purposes" is WRONG!
It is: "For all intents and purposes."
This phrase is actually unnecessary but is often used to point out a "just for the record" or "allow me just to mention" gesture.

"Literally"
Literally means actually. So, if you literally laugh your head off, you have bigger problems to worry about than proper grammar usage.

Would you take this issue seriously?

Computer grammar checkers should identify errors and suggest alternatives for correcting text. Unfortunately, there are many instances in which a program will miss important errors. Using a spell check program is basically clear-cut. On the other hand, grammar is much more interpretive and complex because it is very difficult for a machine to properly understand the English language. In written English, there are a number of expressions that have multiple meanings and the context of a word's usage can directly affect the tone of a sentence. These details are simply impossible for a machine to fully comprehend which often may leave grammar checkers with a few oversights. A grammar checker may accidentally suggest corrections that are inaccurate. That can be frustrating when you know the text is correct but it suggests it is not. A grammar checker may also miss important errors.

Some programs will typically miss errors such as incorrect use of the possessive apostrophe, a comma splice, a missing preposition, run-on sentences, no comma in a compound sentence and even sentence fragments. This is not to imply that using such programs are advised against them. They are very helpful but it is always recommended to brush up on your skills.

I ncorrect grammar makes a poor first impression and can also generate communication misunderstandings. This is imperative when it is business related.
I f a company recruiter finds spelling and grammatical errors in a resume, he or she may view you as less intelligent than a candidate who has similar skills but took the time to proofread properly. That can easily cost you a new job. Personally, I have come across this many times when reading a résumé or cover letter and goes straight into my "not interested" file.
I f you own a business and have spelling and grammatical errors in your marketing materials, especially in an advertisement itself, potential customers often portray these mistakes as an indication that your company is careless and unprofessional. That potential customer may also feel your company is incapable of paying attention to detail and take his or her business elsewhere.

What's the price of bad grammar? In October 2006, a contract dispute between Canadian cable company Rogers Communications and telephone company Bell Aliant revealed that a misplaced comma can be worth $2 million.
The contract said:
"This agreement shall be effective from the date it is made and shall continue in force for a period of five (5) years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five (5) year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."
Rogers Communications believed the placement of the second comma stated the contract was good for at least five years, while Bell Aliant said the comma indicated the deal could be terminated before if one year's notice was given.
In the end, Canada's telecommunications commission sided with Bell Aliant. They stated the comma should have been omitted if the contract was intended to last five years in its shortest possible term. As a result, Bell Alliant was able to save over $2 million by ending the deal early.
Article courtesy of yourdictionary.com