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Here's a collection of grammatical "squeaks" that can tarnish an otherwise beautiful Web page or e-mail. Believe it or not, people do notice mistakes like these.
| Word or Phrase | Say What? | Yes! |
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alot
Sorry, alot is not a word. Use two words.
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"I got alot of e-mail today." |
"I got a lot of e-mail today." |
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it's, its
It's simple! Use an apostrophe only in the contraction of it is. The possessive form of it does not have an apostrophe.
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The airplane lowered it's wheels. Its the right thing to do. |
Possessive: The airplane lowered its wheels. Contraction: It's the right thing to do. |
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"Apostrophed" plurals
What is it about that little apostrophe that makes people yearn to use it so much? How many times have you seen a perfectly good plural defaced with an unnecessary apostrophe? Or maybe the plural wasn't perfectly good in the first place, and the writer decided an apostrophe would fix it!
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"The sky's are clear tonight." Even if the noun doesn't change form, an apostrophe isn't needed in the plural form. "Those are pretty flower's." |
Um.... The plural of "sky" is "skies." Hey - you know this! "Those are pretty flowers." |
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complement, compliment
Some people didn't pay attention in English class. Even though these words sound similar, they are not the same, and have different meanings.
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"The painting compliments the living room" means that the painting admires or flatters the living room ("What a beautiful decor you have, living room," said the painting). |
"The painting complements the living room" means that the living room's decor is enhanced or made complete by the painting. |
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John and I, John and me
Thanks, English teachers everywhere! You've convinced us to always use "John and I" even when it's wrong. Of course we should use "and I" in the subject of a sentence: "John and I drove to the store."
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But "and I" is not correct as the object of a sentence, as in "The client wants to meet with John and I in an hour." Tip: Remove John and to see if the sentence sounds right: "The client wants to meet with |
"The client wants to meet with John and me in an hour." "Mary gave my sister and me a beautiful gift." |
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your, you're
C'mon folks, your is the possessive "you" and you're is the contraction of "you are."
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"Your going to enjoy this movie." |
"You're going to enjoy this movie." |
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their, they're
Another case of confusing a possessive (their) with a contraction (they're). Just because they sound the same doesn't mean they're interchangeable!
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"Their going on vacation." |
"They're going on vacation." |
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lose, loose
Does the Internet rot the brain? Remember your 4th grade spelling lessons!
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"You win some and you loose some." "He's a real looser. "I'm loosing my mind." |
No, no, no! If you lose something, you can't find it. Something is loose when it isn't fastened securely. Don't be a loser; use these terms correctly! "You win some and you lose some." "He's a real loser. "I'm losing my mind." |