Write On

Now, I'm not about to sit here and say that I am a perfect writer or that I remember all of the rules of grammar from ninth grade. But I do consider my grammar...See more » Now, I'm not about to sit here and say that I am a perfect writer or that I remember all of the rules of grammar from ninth grade. But I do consider my grammar to be substantially better than about 80% of the population, a group that is sadly not hard to beat. I am constantly and consistently amazed at the written errors that I come across in my daily routine. So here’s a quick guide to the most common mistakes that I notice in writing and how to avoid making them. It’s and its. The most annoying and prolific grammar mistake in the world has to be the misuse of the words it’s and its. I was shocked last month when I came out of my town’s post office and, glancing up quickly at our stone memorial to war veterans, noticed the wrong its etched in stone on a monument! Are you serious? No one with an even mediocre grasp on the English language proofread the print before the granite went to the engraver!? Forever in Hampton Bays, NY will war veterans be able to take in the monument in all of “it’s” beauty. Good gravy. A simple stop-and-think technique is all that is needed to avoid the embarrassment of using this word incorrectly. Remember that “it’s” with the apostrophe is a contraction, or a combination of two words—in this case it and is. It’s a beautiful day, for example. Its on the other hand signifies ownership and can be used when referring to possession, such as in the sentence, The dog lost its bone. A good writer must keep these words straight and avoid committing the number one fatal error of writing! Which “they’re” is their “there”? At the risk of sounding like an ex-teacher (guilty), can you kids just get this one right already? Although this mistake is admittedly easier to make, there is still simply no excuse for it. Again, stopping to think about it, one should quickly remember that there is the word to describe a place, as in, Let’s go there. Their is a possessive word used to talk about a group of people. They had their cake and ate it, too. Finally, they’re is yet another confusing contraction taking the place of the two words they and are, as in, They’re coming over later. Understanding the “theres” can be tricky at times and even some seasoned pros can slip up now and again. But keeping them straight is often no more difficult than a quick proofread and a moment to think about the rest of the sentence. Apostrophes abound. One of my biggest pet peeves with writers, both amateur and professional, is the misuse and overuse of the apostrophe. A simple rule to help you remember when to use or leave out: apostrophes are for contractions and possession, that’s it. As in the above two lessons, when combining two words in a contraction, it is safe to use an apostrophe. For example, in the joining of is and not, you get isn’t. Likewise, to express ownership, an apostrophe is placed, such as in the phrase, Mike’s textbook. That’s it! Not when writing about CDs, DVDs, MP3s, or TVs. Not even in reference to the 1970s, 80s, 90s, or any other decade. These are all nouns and placing an apostrophe after them is pluralizing them. Who started this?? Though I will probably never find him (of course it’s a him), I can only hope that his followers will begin to understand that he was grossly off the mark and incorrect in placing his superfluous apostrophe’s. (Just checking if you’re paying attention!) ;) Though there are probably hundreds of other grammatical errors that I encounter on a daily basis, these are the ones that really get to me. In a nation that boasts about being on the cutting edge of education and learning, how is it that so many people in the US cannot use grammar correctly? Where does the change need to occur in order to reverse or at least stop the damage? College? High school? Grade school? One may never know. I blame the TV’s. (Had to end with a bang!)See less »