Common writing mistakes

By Carly

Because I’m a writer, people often think that I love grammar and know everything about the English language. They think I lived for the grammar lessons in school.

Well, they’re wrong. I never liked grammar, and I have a difficult time explaining certain things to people. However, there are certain rules that are really basic, and that everyone should know.

• Lose vs. loose. These are two different words with two different meanings and two different pronunciations. You lose your keys. You lose weight. Your pants are loose if you’re losing weight.

• Could of vs. could have. ‘Could of’ is never right. It’s either regional slang or the pronunciation of could’ve, the contraction for could have. If you leave a comment with the correct usage of ‘could of,’ you get a gold star.

• Periods and commas go inside quotation marks.

• It’s not ‘can not.’ It’s ‘cannot.’ (Actually, ‘can not’ is sometimes correct but usually ‘cannot’ is correct, so when in doubt, use ‘cannot.’)

• Its vs. It’s. This is so easy, yet so many people get it wrong! It’s is a contraction for ‘It is” or ‘it has.’ Its is a possessive pronoun. If you’re confused, just read whatever you’re writing. Does “it is” or “it has” make sense? If not, then use ‘its.’

• They’re vs. their vs. there. One is ‘they are’ and one is plural and one is a location.

• Don’t use 12 Noon or 12 Midnight. Just say noon or midnight.

• ATM Machine and PIN Number. When you write it like that, you’re really saying “Automated Teller Machine Machine” and “Personal Identification Number Number.”

• Ending a sentence with a preposition. Your grammar teacher told you not to do this, but in casual writing it’s okay. This rule is fading quickly even for formal writing, and I’m actually okay with this one. It’s annoying, and no one speaks with this rule in mind.

• ‘I’ vs. ‘me.’ Here is an easy way to remember – ‘I’ is the subject of the verb, and ‘me’ is the object of the verb.

There you go, a quick refresher course. Did I miss anything?