Writing’s tough; we know it. Constantly brainstorming ideas, finding your voice and establishing a flow can be enough to exhaust even the most enthusiastic wordsmith, and this is all before making sure you don’t distribute that press release containing a glaring grammatical error. Of course, working in PR has reduced our tolerance for some of the most common mistakes, and putting forth an image of professionalism lies at the forefront of our duties to ourselves and our clients. Not to mention grammatical errors make you look foolish and are just straight embarrassing (probably why we triple-check everything)! Here’s a list of the biggies that make us wince, cringe and crawl under our desks.
1. There, Their, They’re
There – location, location, location. “I’m going over there to think about that awful grammatical mistake.”
Their – expresses possession. “It’s their report; they can fill it with mistakes if they want.”
"They’re – contraction of they are. “They’re going to be really unhappy when I show them how many mistakes were in this draft.”
2. Affect, Effect
Affect (v.) – “Those grammatical mistakes you consistently make are going to affect your chance at a raise.” Remember, the “a” stands for action.
Effect (n.) – “Your grammar has a big effect on what employers think of you.”
3. A lot, Alot
A lot – think quantity! “This release has a lot of mistakes; so I’m going to be using a lot of red ink.”
Alot – This word simply does not exist; we’re mystified by how often it’s used. Please, just stop it.
4. Literally
Whatever you say following literally is exactly true. Literally means it’s 100 percent fact!
“I literally shuddered when I saw all the grammatical errors in that press release.”
5.Then, Than
As a rule of thumb, use than when comparing things, and then in all other instances.
“If you want to be a better writer than your colleague, then you’d better correct these blatant grammatical mistakes!”
6. Your, You’re
Your – expresses possession.
You’re – a contraction for you are.
“You’re going to need a lot of practice to improve your writing.”
What are some of your least favorite grammar mistakes? We use AP Style; let us know what style you use and the most common errors you see!
Note: This post was triple-checked (because a grammatical error in this post would be especially embarrassing).