Yesterday I came across a post at Untwisted Vortex about blogging and grammar, punctuation and spelling. The point of the post:
I believe that how you write is just as important as what you write. Your level of accuracy in grammar, spelling and punctuation are obviously dictated by the level of professionalism required (or desired) for your blog. Even if you're writing a purely personal blog, some level of accuracy is necessary in order to convey your message and the meaning behind the message.I couldn't agree more. Even though it would appear I am placing myself up on a pedestal for all the world to emulate, I acknowledge that I am capable of letting mistakes fall through the cracks. I am not perfect. I try to proofread my posts, utilize the spellchecker and make sure that things are up to snuff before I press that post button. But, as I said, sometimes I miss stuff due to time constraints, distractions, or other things that prevent me from being absolutely perfect. The only time it bothers me is when I'm reading someone's blog ( or other online publication ) and I come across errors that demonstrate an obvious lack of any effort to proofread. What will further irritate me is when I know that they are held in high regard in the blogosphere. So with this in mind I decided to compile a short list of words that seem to be commonly used in the wrong context, provide the correct usage and a few links that might be useful.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the use of some common words that often times confuse readers regarding their meaning. The spellchecker won't catch these mistakes. So it's up to the writer to find these problems before you hit the post button. However, I know it can be confusing, so here are a few tips:
than and then
The word "than" is used to compare things:example: That car is faster than that car.The word "then" is used to make reference to a time frame:
example: I drank all night and then got up at five in the morning.
lose and loose
The word "lose" is a verb:example: I will lose weight easily with this diet.The word "loose" is an adjective:
example: That jar has a loose lid.
it's and its
This one used to get me all the time. The word "it's" means "it is":example: It's unwise to spit into the wind.The word "its" is a pronoun much like his or her:
example: The dog is chasing its tail.An easy way to remember this is simply to replace the "its" with "it is" or another pronoun. You certainly wouldn't write the above sentence:
The dog is chasing it is tailBut you could write it this way:
The dog is chasing his tail
their, there and they're
The word "their" is a possessive pronoun:example: That Mercedes is their car.The word: "there" is an adverb indicating location:
example: The Mercedes is parked over there.The word "they're" is a contraction of "they are":
example: They're taking the Mercedes to the car wash.So, a good test for the correct usage is to ask if you are referring to possession, location or action when you are going to use their, there or they're.
You pointed out the words that I see being used wrong all the time. There are more, but you made the point and that's good. One more that I see a lot of, and shouldn't, is writers using "too" instead of "to". I can forgive people that write English as a second language, but not those where English is the primary language. I mean, we were taught the difference in those words in grade school!
Your rant on grammar and spelling reminded me of this quote from Sir Winston Churchill.
"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put."
I don't know the occasion of the quote, but I'm guessing someone criticized he grammar.
@RT
I saw several more after I wrote the post - and this is someone who is making good money off his blog. That kind of irks me.
@BigSibling
Thanks for the laugh.
I agree Jim. The one that annoys me the most is the use of amount and number. It has got to the stage where I am surprised when I hear or read someone using these terms correctly. As you say when people are making money from their writing and they consistently make errors it becomes frustrating. Maybe I'm getting old and grumpy.