Common Grammar Mistakes

First, let’s just put it out there that grammar isn’t everyone’s forte and that’s okay. Ask me a science question and I’m likely to either give you a blank stare or an incredibly wrong answer. Thank goodness for easy access to reliable online resources nowadays! (For some great writing resources, take a look at my previous blog post, https://www.norriseditorial.com/post/get-help-with-your-writing.)

 

It is essential in business writing to take the time to review your writing. You don’t want to undermine your efforts and credibility with grammar mistakes that could have easily been corrected. Here are just a few of the errors I see frequently:

 

1. Homophones – Those words that sound alike, but have different meanings and spellings. In fact, these are such popular mistakes, that there are a variety of memes to choose from online and even merchandise for those that appreciate the message!

 Their, there, and there are among the most commonly confused words. “Their is the possessive pronoun that means ‘belonging to them,’ as in ‘their car is red’; there is used to refer to a specific place or location as in ‘get away from there’ and ‘stop right there’; they're is a contraction of ‘they are,’ as in ‘they're getting married,’" – Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

 

2. Subject-verb agreement – The subject of a sentence is the person or thing performing an action while the verb is the action word.

            The boss or an intern writes the daily memo.

            The boss and her interns write the daily memo.

            The team of interns report to the first-line manager. (Incorrect: "team" is the collective noun, so the verb tense agrees with "team," not "interns." See below.)

            The team of interns reports to the first-line manager.

 

3. Apostrophes – Used in contractions and to show possession.

            It’s (contraction of “it is”) versus Its (possessive: “I put the dictionary back in its place.)

            Other contraction examples:

She will > She’ll

            What is > What’s

            Cannot > Can’t

            Would have > would’ve  (not “would of”) Example: I would’ve liked to have met her.

            You all > Y’all (Though, yes, this tends to be a regional contraction.)

Interesting fact: Did you know that “Ma’am” is a contraction of “Madam?”

 

Possessive examples: “Megan’s book,” “Maryland and Virginia’s history…”

 

In regard to plural possessives, there is some discrepancy in style guides between words that end in “s” and whether an additional “s” is necessary. For example, some would say that you would simply add an apostrophe to the end of my last name to make it possessive, Norris’. However, I prefer to follow the pronunciation, so, if the additional “s” sound is added at the end, I prefer “’s.” Example: Megan Norris’s sister was awarded “Officer of the Year.”

 

These are just three examples of common grammar mistakes, but a good start for those who want to work on actively improving their writing. Take advantage of those tools I mentioned in my previous blog post, and never be afraid to ask a colleague, a friend, or me for help!