No matter who we are, what educational background we have acquired, or what prestigious literary awards we have won we all question our grammar usage from time to time. Sometimes you just can’t get a sentence to sound or look right or we are just having a fleeting ‘duh’ moment. Whatever the case may be, it’s always helpful to have some quick grammar resources nearby to help us out. I came across a helpful list of common writing errors on The Harvard Business Review website that you just might want to file away for future reference. It’s simple and basic, but we know we have all done at least one thing on the list- unintentionally or not.
–Affect is a verb and effect is a noun.
-Use ‘all right’ not ‘alright.’
–A lot is two words.
–‘Between you and me‘ not ‘between you and I.’
–Compliment is a form of praise, while complement is when things work well together.
–Farther is for physical distance and further is metaphorical distance.
–Gray is the American spelling, not grey (which is British).
–Regardless is always the correct choice, not irregardless.
-Subjects lie down and objects lay down.
–‘Please send the e-mail to Bob and me’ not ‘Please send the e-mail to Bob and myself.”
The article also mentioned a few helpful online resources when you are stumped with a writing error:
Write On.