No this is not to pick on my clients (well maybe a little). No, really I see these mistakes everywhere. All are easy to fix, just break a moment to commit them to memory.
Here goes:
- The first most widely seen offense is related to punctuation. If you are using quotation marks please, by all means, put your punctuation inside the quotation.
- The following words are confused a LOT. First on the list, their, there and they’re. Remember, there is an adverb specifying place or location. Their is a possessive pronoun signifying something belongs to more than one person. They’re is the contraction of they are. A good rule here – ask yourself if the sentence will make sense to you when you replace they’re with they are.
- Oh, and the list could definitely not be complete without this combo: its vs. it's.Its is a possessive pronoun showing something belongs to “it.” (see also how I used the period inside the quotation). For example: The book has a colorful photo on its cover.It’s is a contraction of “it is.” For example: It’s sunny out today.
- If you are using commas, stick to these three rules. First, use a comma before a coordinating conjunction like “and,” “but,” or “or” that joins independent clauses. Second, use a comma between two or more adjectives that each modify a noun separately, called coordinate adjectives. Third, use a comma after an introductory phrase or clause. These introductory phrases often establish setting, either time or location.
- Making nouns possessive. For singular, follow this example (the cat’s collar), and for plural (the six dogs’ home).
Wowweee! Do you have all that? Since I'm running a bit long, I will stop my rants for today. Maybe I will feel compelled to pick up again later. Trust me, there are plenty more :)
2 comments:
Very educational! There, Their, and They're mistakes always irritate me. I should admit that I often have punctuation questions though. It's been along time since H.S.! But still, you have to wonder if some people learned anything. I worked for a man who started his co. with next to nothing, and became a multi multi millionare. There came a time when he proudly debuted a new truck with a new paint scheme. His new slogan was, "The Skies The Limit". Tell me if I'm wrong; I tried to explain to him that it should read, "The Sky's The Limit". Or, "The Sky is The Limit". A couple of days later he called me up to his office to tell me he checked with the painter. Turns out, the painter said it was correct because the word skies is plural. I tried to explain that he then has a grammer issue. If you accept that there's more than one sky, it should read, "The Skies Are The Limit". Well, he proceeded to have his entire fleet (about 120 vehicles), and all signage painted with the initial version. I was just the shop manager. What did I know? Often wondered; when the trucks rolled down the highways, how many people were laughing? How many even knew the difference? True story! Well how many mistakes did I make? I'm truly interested in knowing. Thanks.
Love it!! This is a prime example of what I am talking about. You see it everywhere, and you are completely correct :)
Though I have to say, with the predominance of spelling/grammar check most out there probably do not know the difference.
Again, good catch!
Since you’re interested, you did miss the first tip on my little rant. Always keep your punctuation inside the quotation. For example, "The Sky's The Limit." Not "The Sky's The Limit".
Here are a few others that really stick out:
Grammar not grammer.
Not sure if you meant to put “multi multi millionaire.” This is not really necessary. All you need is the one, but punctuate it like so, multi-millionaire.
“A long time” instead of “along time.” You do not mean in the company of/forward motion.
Also read up on semicolon use. Use these when joining two independent clauses. For example, “It is nearly quarter to six; we cannot reach the game before kick-off.” Also, you can replace the semicolon with a period. Or replace the semicolon with a comma and add “and” before the second clause. Both are correct fixes.
Thanks for the interest!!
-E
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