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GRAMMAR MISTAKES »
Top 10 common grammar mistakes rated by the LoveToKnow editors. | | | |
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Affect/Effect
Many people get confused over when to use
affect and effect, even seasoned writers and editors. This site offers a
handy illustration that makes remembering much easier than normal. Once
you see the sketch of the aardvark being affected by an arrow, you'll
never forget the connection between the two again. You'll also find
other grammar tips from the Grammar Girl, like how to know
when to use who or whom, active voice versus passive voice, lay
versus lie and whether or not it is acceptable to end a sentence with a
preposition. | |
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Conjunctions
After hearing the catchy Schoolhouse Rock
tune of Conjunction Junction, What's Your Function? most people
understand that a conjunction is a joining word like but, and, or, so.
The confusion often comes in how and where to use each type of
conjunction and how to punctuate for conjunctions. To add to the
confusion even more there are different types of conjunctions, including
compound and correlative. This article breaks down how and where to use
the different types of conjunctions in an easy to understand format.
You'll also want to read more about
subordinating and
coordinating conjunctions. | |
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Its/It's
There are some simple tips to help you remember
when to use its instead of it's. It's is an abbreviate for "it is" with
the apostrophe taking the place of the letter "i" in the phrase. One
easy way to test a sentence to see if you are using the correct form is
to substitute "its" or "it's" with the words "it is". If it sounds
right, it likely is. Its also indicates possession. You can read
examples and all the nuances at this site along with tips for improving
your grammar in areas such as how to use
apostrophes,
allusion versus illusion and
farther versus further. | |
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Loose/Lose
These two words look similar, but are pronounced
differently and have very different meanings. While the occasional typo
may occur when writing one of these words, the misuse of them is
actually more common than you might think. "Lose" means to no longer
have possession of something, while "loose" means not tight. You can see
how using the wrong word could create confusion for the reader. This
site lays out examples of the correct way to use each word and what the
word means. You'll also find information on
every day versus everyday,
good versus well and
to, too and two. | |
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Mismatched Pronoun and Noun
There are many rules when it
comes to pronouns. Mismatched pronouns are probably one of the most
common grammar mistakes around. Many people are concerned about
remaining gender neutral in their writing. However, when the noun is
singular, the pronoun must be as well. For example, "Someone ate all of
the cake, and they are going to be sick." This sentence is incorrect,
because someone is singular. The pronoun (they) is plural. To make this
sentence correct, you would need to write it, "Someone ate all of the
cake, and he is going to be sick". The site also offers some tips for
independent and dependent clauses. | |
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Principle/Principal
These two words have two very different
meanings. One is the head of a school and the other is a standard. Learn
what the difference is between the two and get some tips for keeping
them separated. If you have not yet checked out the Diffen website, you
are in for a real treat. Go to the
main page and put in any two terms to compare two things. You can
compare cats and dogs, two different words as in this example or
anything else you can dream up. You can also browse through top searches
and see what other users are comparing. | |
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Quotation Marks
How to punctuate and when to use quotation
marks can be quite confusing. This article breaks down the different
uses of quotations, explains how to punctuate each type and gives solid
examples. This site is dedicated to helping writers write better and is
part of the English department at Purdue University in Indiana. You'll
also find some really helpful information that will get you to where you
can finally
conquer the dreaded comma. Other sections focus on prepositions,
hyphens, apostrophes, semi-colons, colons and many other grammar tips. | |
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Their/There/They're
The misuse of these three words is quite
common. Each word has a very different meaning. Their is a possessive
word and means that something belongs to them. There is a directional
word and indicates a location. They're means "they are" and is actually
a noun and verb combination. You can read more and get examples of these
three words at this site. For better overall grammar, you may also want
to read articles like
How to Teach Double Negatives in Grammar and
How to Run Grammar Checks Online. | |
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Who/Whom
The confusion over when to use who or whom has
stumped many people. There is something confusing about these two words,
but the tips and tricks on this site will help you put this issue to bed
once and for all. You'll find many different examples to illustrate the
difference between the two. They even advise that when you are unsure
which to use that you should go ahead and use "who". After you read
through all the tips, take the test and see if you understand the
concept or need to review some more. You'll also find many other free
grammar lessons on this site, including lessons on lesser known topics
like
vocative case. | |
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Who/Which/That
Knowing which relative pronoun to use when
can be pretty confusing. There are many nuances to the use of pronouns.
For example, you'll want to use the word "that" when referring to a cat,
but the word "who" when referring to a human. The cat that jumped on the
counter. The boy who walked down the street. This article takes a look
at the different pronouns and how to use them. You'll also find tips
about the use of
reflexive pronouns and
reciprocal pronouns. Check out the other grammar and writing tips on
this site to make your writing really sparkle. | |
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