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+--- Thread: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them (/Thread-Common-Grammar-Mistakes-and-How-To-Fix-Them)
Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 19, 2010
I don't mean to sound preachy, but I have noticed that a lot of people nowadays rely heavily on a spell checker. While useful, it doesn't provide syntaxical help resulting in quite a few common errors in writing. The following is a list of common grammar mistakes and how to fix them.
Its vs It's
Okay, first off is one of the more frequent errors I encounter: "it's" and "its".
Its is a possessive pronoun meaning "of it" or "belonging to it". (Its fur is soft.)
It's is a contraction for "it is" or "it has". (It's a cat.)
Still don't get it? It's quite simple. So you know you want to use one of the two, but you're not quite sure which one. Try replacing the "it's" with "it is" or "it has". Does the sentence make sense? If it does, you've got the right "it's". If not, you need to use "its".
There, Their and They're
Here's a bit of a doozy. "There", "their" and "they're" are homophones (words that sound the same but mean different things) that tend to trip up people who are new to English, whether it is foreigners or youngsters. In fact, some people who profess to be fluent still make mistakes regarding them. Here's what you need to know:
There denotes a place and means in, at, or to that place. (Let's go there!)
Their is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to them". (It's their party.)
They're is a contraction of the words "they are". (They're going to a party.)
If your sentence makes sense with "they are", then you should use "they're". Talking about a belonging or quality of a noun? Use "their". Otherwise, use "there" and you should be fine.
Your vs You're
"Your" and "you're" are also homonyms.
Your is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to you". (Your smile is nice.)
You're is a contraction of the words "you are". (You're smiling.)
Do you notice the pattern yet? If your sentence makes sense with the words "you are" filling in, then you need to use "you're". If you're talking about something about the person you are addressing, "your" is what you want.
Affect vs Effect
Affect and effect are two commonly confused words.
Affect is a verb meaning "to influence". (That doesn't affect me.)
Effect is usually a noun meaning "result". (It had an effect on me.)
Here's where it gets tricky...
Affect can be used as a noun meaning "display of emotion". (He showed no affect when confronted.)
Effect is sometimes used as a verb meaning "to bring about". (He effected his escape with knotted bedsheets.)
Now, how are you going to know what to use?
First, determine if you need a verb or a noun. If you need a verb, most of the time it'll be "affect", meaning "to alter". The only time you use "effect" as a verb is when the specific meaning "to cause or bring about" is needed.
If you need a noun, the word is usually "effect", meaning "result". "Affect" as a noun is very rarely used outside of psychological jargon.
Basically, if you need a verb "affect" is usually what you want.
If you need a noun, use "effect".
I hope this helps. I also hope that there are no grammar mistakes in this post. That would be ironic.
EDIT: Oh, and if there is anything else you want me to clear up, I'd be happy to give it my best shot.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Kai-V - Jul. 19, 2010
I hope "grammer" was intentional ...
How come these are some of the first things I learned about the English language and that I totally understood them even years ago ... In other words, how come this topic is needed, hah.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Serotonin - Jul. 19, 2010
(Jul. 19, 2010 10:41 PM)Kai-V Wrote: I hope "grammer" was intentional ...
How come these are some of the first things I learned about the English language and that I totally understood them even years ago ... In other words, how come this topic is needed, hah.
Allegedly, these are some of the most difficult things for children to learn; it's (
) obvious when you see the content people write nowadays.I don't know if this happens anywhere outside of Britain, but "he could of played", instead of the correct "he could have played", is one of the most annoying errors.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 19, 2010
(Jul. 19, 2010 10:41 PM)Kai-V Wrote: I hope "grammer" was intentional ...
No... it was not. Fixing it now.
(Jul. 19, 2010 10:41 PM)Kai-V Wrote: How come these are some of the first things I learned about the English language and that I totally understood them even years ago ... In other words, how come this topic is needed, hah.
I always had a firm grasp on these concepts as well, but some people apparently have difficulty.
(Jul. 19, 2010 10:46 PM)♥ Wrote: I don't know if this happens anywhere outside of Britain, but "he could of played", instead of the correct "he could have played", is one of the most annoying errors.
It probably stems from the fact that "could've" sounds like "could of".
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Priscient - Jul. 19, 2010
Ahh this topic cracked me up. xD
thanks for the laugh, however I unfortunately agree.
Also is it regular for your title of your topic to have all capitals at the start of every word? I think not (maybe?)
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 19, 2010
(Jul. 19, 2010 11:10 PM)Pockyx3 Wrote: Also is it regular for your title of your topic to have all capitals at the start of every word? I think not (maybe?)
You're right... I shouldn't have capitalized "and". Oh well. Capitalization and spelling are not my forte.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes And How To Fix Them - Serotonin - Jul. 19, 2010
It's a title, so yes, it should have capitals. Conjunctions and prepositions, along with other articles do not have to be capitalised.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Jsc - Jul. 20, 2010
I don't really have any problem with the there, their, and they're group, nor the your and you'res. However Its and It's has always been a problem for me.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - OkiBlaze - Jul. 20, 2010
You should state the difference's of 'effect' and 'affect' as well.
That's the only one I get confused about.
I fail as an honor student, haha.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Jsc - Jul. 20, 2010
Oh yeah, for my essay I missed points because I put Affect instead of Effect on the title xD
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 20, 2010
Affect and effect added. It's a bit confusing.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - OkiBlaze - Jul. 20, 2010
Thanks Daegor42!
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Kei - Jul. 20, 2010
(Jul. 19, 2010 10:39 PM)Daegor42 Wrote: Its vs It's
Haha, I am the biggest offender of this. I know the difference yet I still do it for some reason!
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Cpt. Squirrel - Jul. 20, 2010
Contrary to popular belief, you're not supposed to use a comma in a sentence with 'if' and 'then'. However, if you're writing a story or a piece of dialogue, you can use a comma to simulate an actual conversation.
Arsiness over.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 20, 2010 11:30 PM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: Contrary to popular belief, you're not supposed to use a comma in a sentence with 'if' and 'then'. However, if you're writing a story or a piece of dialogue, you can use a comma to simulate an actual conversation.
Really? I was taught that you're always supposed to put a commma after an introductory clause and before the main clause.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Cpt. Squirrel - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 21, 2010 12:22 AM)Daegor42 Wrote:(Jul. 20, 2010 11:30 PM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: Contrary to popular belief, you're not supposed to use a comma in a sentence with 'if' and 'then'. However, if you're writing a story or a piece of dialogue, you can use a comma to simulate an actual conversation.
Really? I was taught that you're always supposed to put a commma after an introductory clause and before the main clause.
You are supposed to put a comma after an introductory cause and before the main one, but you can't start a sentence with 'then'.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Daegor42 - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 21, 2010 12:31 AM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: You are supposed to put a comma after an introductory cause and before the main one, but you can't start a sentence with 'then'.
Then how am I supposed to start them?
You can start sentences with words like "but" and "then", but they can easily turn into fragments, which is why you're supposed to do it cautiously. As far as I know, there is no grammatical rule against it.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Cpt. Squirrel - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 21, 2010 12:32 AM)Daegor42 Wrote:(Jul. 21, 2010 12:31 AM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: You are supposed to put a comma after an introductory cause and before the main one, but you can't start a sentence with 'then'.
Then how am I supposed to start them?
You can start sentences with words like "but" and "then", but they can easily turn into fragments, which is why you're supposed to do it cautiously. As far as I know, there is no grammatical rule against it.
Actually, you can't start sentences with 'but' or 'then'.
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Kai-V - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 21, 2010 12:36 AM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: Actually, you can't start sentences with 'but' or 'then'.That is also what my French teachers told us, but for some reason, in all the books I read, the author made sentences that started with "and", therefore I decided to follow the actual writers and not the teachers ... There are sometimes still errors remaining after the edition, however I know that the writers probably have more of the same "flow" that I have when I write ...
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Serotonin - Jul. 21, 2010
I think it's used for effect, but grammatically, it's discouraged in teaching.
Bear (not bare) in mind? LOOKING AT YOU, CPT. SQUIRREL.
http://worldbeyblade.org/search.php?action=results&sid=6369c07258c3f2459eb734af3d70a055&sortby=lastpost&order=desc
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - Cpt. Squirrel - Jul. 21, 2010
(Jul. 21, 2010 1:03 AM)Kai-V Wrote:(Jul. 21, 2010 12:36 AM)Cpt. Squirrel Wrote: Actually, you can't start sentences with 'but' or 'then'.That is also what my French teachers told us, but for some reason, in all the books I read, the author made sentences that started with "and", therefore I decided to follow the actual writers and not the teachers ... There are sometimes still errors remaining after the edition, however I know that the writers probably have more of the same "flow" that I have when I write ...
It depends on what type of books you were reading. I don't think you'd find that in a formal piece of writing though. But, yeah, it all depends on who the audience is. Like now, I'm just writing informally so I usually just throw formal grammar out. Usually on the internet, as long as there's an ok use of grammar, the message would be the same.
(Jul. 21, 2010 1:07 AM)♥ Wrote: I think it's used for effect, but grammatically, it's discouraged in teaching.
Bear (not bare) in mind? LOOKING AT YOU, CPT. SQUIRREL.
http://worldbeyblade.org/search.php?action=results&sid=6369c07258c3f2459eb734af3d70a055&sortby=lastpost&order=desc
shhhhhh. You just made me go through these smilies:
*Saw what you wrote* [Image: eyeball.gif]
*Checked google* [Image: hmmm.gif]
*Stunned* [Image: indiff.gif]
And finally: [Image: sigh.png]
RE: Common Grammar Mistakes and How To Fix Them - pegasis105rf - Aug. 03, 2010
thanks daegor42