Even the most seasoned writers make mistakes. If you’re writing everyday for long periods of time, you might start second-guessing yourself when it comes to certain grammatical elements. We’ve all done it; words on a page start to look strange and next thing you know, you’re knee-deep in grammar errors. Fear not, for nobody’s perfect! This blog post will address four of the most common writing mishaps.
A lot & Alot
Luckily, spellcheck has a pretty good track record at catching this mistake most of the time – but remember: if you’re trying to say you have an abundance of something, there’s a space in “a lot” – and alot just isn’t a word!
I, Me, Myself
Many people get confused over how to refer to themselves and others in writing. At the beginning of a sentence, say the other person’s name first (i.e. “Jane and I went to the park.”) At the end of a sentence, “I” isn’t appropriate; instead, it would be “Bob went to the park with Jane and me.” An easy way to figure this out is by removing the other person’s name and saying the sentence: “Bob went to the park with I” doesn’t make sense.
Affect/Effect
With two words that sound and look so much alike, it’s easy to confuse them. “Affect” is a verb, while “effect” is a noun. A simple way to remember this: “affect” begins with an “a,” as does “action,” which is what verbs do.
Apostrophes
You wouldn’t believe how common it is for people to overuse apostrophes. Apostrophes are used to indicate one of two things: possession or missing letters (i.e. “Julie’s watch,” “Y’all”). They don’t belong in plurals, years (“1980s;” not “1980’s”), or when referring to your family using your last name (“the Johnsons;” not “the Johnson’s”).
Don’t let these small, but important, grammar mistakes overshadow your company’s amazing content. If you’re one of many that have fallen into these grammar traps, take what you’ve learned from this blog post into consideration next time you sit down to write!
For more grammar tips, check out our other posts:
“Five Common Grammar Mistakes That Are Making Your Company Look Bad”
“Five (More) Grammar Mistakes That Are Making Your Company Look Bad”
