See No Evil

Having won numerous spelling bees during my childhood and adolescence it’s hard for me not to see errors. My husband is astonished whenever I point out a continuity mistake during a television show or film. And my hairdresser marvels at how I can visually see when he’s off a quarter of an inch on one side. What this boils down to is a miss-nothing-stare. Although I’m not perfect nor claim to be, I thought about Hemingway and his 4 rules of writing, and devised my own list. It includes the 4 most common grammar mistakes I see among bloggers, with suggestions.  

Grammar Mistakes 

1. Your vs. You’re

This one is extremely common among bloggers. All it takes to avoid this error is to take a second and think about what you’re trying to say.

“Your” is a possessive pronoun, as in “your car” or “your blog.” “You’re” is a contraction for “you are,” as in “you’re messing up your writing by using your when you really mean you are.

2. It’s vs. Its

Another common mistake easily avoided by thinking through what you’re trying to say.

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “this blog has got its audience.” Here’s an easy rule of thumb—repeat your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds odd, “its” is likely the correct choice.

3. There vs. Their

This often gets overlooked.

“There” is used many ways, including as a reference to a place as in, “let’s go there” or as a pronoun; “there is no hope.” “Their” is a plural possessive pronoun, as in “their bags” or “their opinions.” Always do the “that’s ours” test.  Are you talking about more than one person and something that they possess? If so, “their” will get you there.

4. Affect vs. Effect

As with any of the other common mistakes people make when writing, it’s taking that extra minute to get it right that makes the difference.

“Affect” is a verb, as in “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your income immensely.” “Effect” is a noun, as in “The effect of a parent’s income on a child’s future is well documented.” By thinking in terms of “the effect,” you can usually sort out which is which, because you can’t stick “the” in front of a verb. While some people do use “effect” as a verb such as an attorney- “a strategy to effect a settlement”, you should avoid this if you want to write in the manner in which people speak.