29 Apr Language and Grammer Mistakes

We’re all guilty of common grammar and language mistakes, even me. Although I’m fairly confident with my spelling abilities and can double, and sometimes triple, check my written work – I don’t articulate myself verbally as eloquently.

Here are some common mistakes to look for in your writing:

Spelling

Use “accidentally” not “accidently” – there are quite a few words with -ally suffixes, not to be confused with words have -ly suffixes. Accidently makes it into some dictionaries, but is regarded as a variant. Avoid them when you can. You want people paying attention to your message, not concerning themselves with your spelling.
Have I “peaked your interest” – The correct spelling is piqued, not peaked.
Writing “then” when you mean “than” – The first is a description of time “I went to lunch then had a coffee break” and the other is used when making a comparison, “I am kinder than you are.”

Word Usage

Misusing “literally” – If I said, “I literally feel like jumping off of this building,” I don’t actually mean that. I actually mean metaphorically. Literally means actually or without exaggeration.
Taking a 360-degree turn when you changed direction – I’ve heard so many people say they’ve made a 360-degree turn when they mean that they’ve turned around. If you think about it, if you turn around so you’re facing in the opposite direction, you’ve actually made a 180-degree turn.
Redundancy – SIN stands for social insurance number. Therefore, you cannot say SIN number without being redundant. Same with ATM (automated teller machine) – don’t repeat machine. Another is “personal favorite”, can you imagine an impersonal favorite?
Using “irregardless” – This is a pet peeve of mine. Although irregardless does appear in some dictionaries, it’s non-standard and meaningless. The ‘ir’ cancels out the ‘regardless’ – stick with plain old regardless.

Grammar

Using “could of,”, “would of,” “should of.” – All of these are wrong and are born of poor speaking styles – could’ve, would’ve, should’ve. What you want to write is could have, would have, should have.
Using “they” when referring to a business – “The Professionals said they would give us grammar tips today.” Although that may sound right, the correct sentence is “The Professionals said it would give us grammar tips today.” If that sentence bugs you: rewrite.
Using “that” instead of “who” – If you’re writing about people, use who. If you’re writing about objects, use that.