{"id":59,"date":"2017-07-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/log.cudoo.com\/2018\/03\/11\/english-writing-mistakes-to-avoid\/"},"modified":"2022-10-12T16:08:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T12:08:36","slug":"english-writing-mistakes-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/english-writing-mistakes-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"English Writing Mistakes To Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fluency in a language does not guarantee perfect grammar. Especially for a language as quirky as English, the correct use of words and spellings can be confusing. Even native speakers are subject to mistakes when using homonyms, commas, and apostrophes.<\/span> Learn English grammar<\/a> using these 20 tips, and you never have to suffer the wrath of that one grammar control friend!<\/p>\n

1. Its vs. It\u2019s<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Its \u2013 possessive pronoun (\u2018The puppy played with its<\/strong> toy.<\/em>\u2019)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u2013 contraction of \u201cit is\u201d or \u201cit has\u201d (\u2018I think it\u2019s<\/strong> going to rain.<\/em>\u2019)<\/p>\n

2. There vs. Their vs. They\u2019re<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There \u2013 an adverb; in or at that place (\u2018I hope you don\u2019t go there<\/strong>.<\/em>\u2019)<\/p>\n

Their \u2013 a possessive pronoun (\u2018Their<\/strong> work is very sloppy.<\/em>\u2019)<\/p>\n

They\u2019re \u2013 contraction of \u201cthey are\u201d (\u2018They\u2019re<\/strong> going to perform for us.<\/em>\u2019)<\/p>\n

\"adult-2242164_960_720.jpg\"<\/span><\/strong> 3. Lose vs. Loose<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lose \u2013 a verb; to suffer the loss of something (\u2018I don\u2019t want to lose<\/strong> more weight.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Loose \u2013 an adjective; free or released from attachment (\u2018She prefers loose<\/strong> clothing.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\"TEFL<\/a>4. Whose vs. Who\u2019s<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whose \u2013 possessive form of who (\u2018Do you know whose<\/strong> boat that was?\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s \u2013 a contraction for \u201cwho is\u201d (\u2018Who\u2019s<\/strong> going to clean all this mess?\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

5. Your vs. You\u2019re<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your \u2013 possessive pronoun (\u2018Your<\/strong> job is very exciting.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

You\u2019re \u2013 contraction of \u201cyou are\u201d (\u2018You\u2019re<\/strong> going to amaze them today.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"difference<\/span><\/strong> 6. Write vs. Right<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Write \u2013 verb; to express in writing (\u2018Write<\/strong> a letter to Mom\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Right \u2013 adjective; correct\/justified\/opposite of left (\u2018It\u2019s the right<\/strong> way of doing things.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Me vs. I<\/span><\/strong> \u201cMe\u201d is the object and \u201cI\u201d is the subject.<\/p>\n

(\u2018They are going to send me<\/strong> a package.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

(Ali\u00a0and <\/em><\/span>I<\/strong><\/em> are going to the beach.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

(\u2018Many thanks from Ashley and <\/em><\/span>me<\/strong><\/em>.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Effect vs. Affect<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Effect \u2013 noun; produced by a cause\/a result of (\u2018The rules are in effect<\/strong> as of today.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Affect \u2013 verb; to act on\/to produce a chance (\u2018The cold weather has affected<\/strong> my health.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Gone vs. Went<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Went \u2013 past tense of the verb \u201cto go\u201d<\/p>\n

Gone \u2013 past participle of the verb \u201cto go\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

(\u2018I went<\/strong> to the store. I should have gone<\/strong> to the open market instead.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

10. Accept vs. Except<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Accept \u2013 verb; to take or receive (\u2018I accept<\/strong> the challenge.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Except \u2013 preposition; excluding\/save\/but (\u2018Everyone except<\/strong> me decided to go.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

11. Could of vs. Could have<\/span><\/strong> \u201cCould of\u201d is often misused perhaps because it sounds so close to \u201ccould\u2019ve\u201d which is a contraction of \u201ccould have\u201d. It is not correct!<\/p>\n

(\u2018I wonder if I could have<\/strong> majored in English.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

12. Irregardless vs. Regardless<\/span><\/strong> \u201cIrregardless\u201d is not a valid word!<\/p>\n

(\u2018It\u2019s not going to happen regardless<\/strong> of what we do.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

\"difference<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0 13. Here vs. Hear<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Here \u2013 adverb; in this place (\u2018I am planning on staying here<\/strong>.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Hear \u2013 verb; to be within earshot (\u2018I do not want to hear<\/strong> that excuse anymore.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Business Writing That Works!<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0 14. To vs. Too vs. Two<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

To \u2013 preposition (\u2018You should be prepared to<\/strong> go.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Too \u2013 adverb; also (\u2018They want to perform too<\/strong>.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Two \u2013 noun; one plus one (\u2018I want you two<\/strong> to make a decision.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

15. Then vs. Than<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Then \u2013 adverb; at the time (\u2018I will eat, and then<\/strong> I will go.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Than \u2013 used after comparative adjectives (\u2018He is taller than<\/strong> she is.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

16. Were vs. Where vs. We\u2019re<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Were \u2013 past tense of verb \u201cto be\u201d (\u2018We were<\/strong> happy.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Where \u2013 adverb; in or at what place (\u2018Where<\/strong> did you go?\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019re \u2013 contraction of \u201cwe are\u201d (\u2018We\u2019re<\/strong> going to win.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"rule-1752415_960_720.jpg\"<\/span> 17. Plurals don\u2019t need apostrophe –<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0The most common error is to put an apostrophe when you form plurals for a noun.<\/p>\n

(\u201ccat\u2019s<\/em>\u201d, \u201cdog\u2019s<\/em>\u201d, \u201cABC\u2019s<\/em>\u201d is incorrect; \u201ccats<\/em>\u201d, \u201cdogs<\/em>\u201d, \u201cABCs<\/em>\u201d is correct)<\/p>\n

18. Ending sentences with prepositions or adding them when we shouldn’t.<\/span><\/strong> It is a common trend now to use prepositions incorrectly to end phrases and questions.<\/p>\n

Incorrect \u2013 (\u2018Where are we at<\/strong> with our plans?\u2019<\/em>) (\u2018Where is the movie theatre at<\/strong>?\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Correct \u2013 (\u2018Where are we with our plans?\u2019<\/em>) (\u2018Where is the movie theatre?\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Examples of when we end a sentence with a preposition:<\/p>\n

Incorrect \u2013 (\u2018Who should I give it to?<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Correct \u2013 (\u2018To whom should I give it?<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

Strictly speaking, this is grammatically incorrect, but these days, this rule is going out of fashion as we move to less formal communication all round. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

19. The dangling participle<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0can seriously change the flow and meaning of your writing.<\/p>\n

Misinterpreted \u2013 (\u2018Cooking in the pan, Anna decided it was time to turn the vegetables.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

It sounds as though Anna herself was being cooked in the pan!<\/span><\/p>\n

Intended \u2013 (\u2018Anna decided it was time to turn the vegetables cooking on the stove.\u2019<\/em>)<\/span><\/p>\n

20. Comma splice<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0– this error occurs when two independent clauses are connected by only a comma. Remember the cry of every school teacher, “Commas are NOT sticky!”.<\/p>\n

Example \u2013 (\u2018My family bakes together nearly every night,<\/strong> we then get to enjoy everything we make together.\u2019<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Correction 1 \u2013 (\u2018My family bakes together nearly every night.<\/strong> We then get to enjoy everything we make together.\u2019<\/em>) The comma splice has been corrected by breaking the sentence into two separate sentences.<\/p>\n

Correction 2 \u2013 (\u2018My family bakes together nearly every night, and<\/strong> we then get to enjoy everything we make together.\u2019<\/em>) The comma splice has been corrected by adding coordinating conjunction and a comma.<\/p>\n

\n

No one is perfect at English grammar (unless you\u2019re Shakespeare himself!), but you can keep yourself in check and avoid writing mistakes by proofreading your work (or asking someone else to proofread it for you), reading it out loud, or using a dictionary or thesaurus when in doubt. Check out\u00a050 Words You Can Use Instead of Nice<\/a>\u00a0for more tips for English!<\/p>\n

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Fluency in a language does not guarantee perfect grammar. Especially for a language as quirky as English, the correct use of words and spellings can be confusing. Even native speakers are subject to mistakes when using homonyms, commas, and apostrophes. Learn English grammar using these 20 tips, and you never have to suffer the wrath […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3,7],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[258,251,246,242,260,248,256,259,56,252,247,243,646,254,250,249,257,244,255,245],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6414,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59\/revisions\/6414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cudoo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}