‘Me and Jane went to the cinema.’

This is the most frequently made mistake when it comes to the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘me’, and in terms of spoken English, it has become a mistake that is so commonplace that it has almost become acceptable.

Except it isn’t acceptable, and neither should it ever be.

A great tip to follow when looking at how to use the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘me’ is to apply the pronouns individually to any particular sentence. This then makes the mistake that much more apparent.

‘Me went to the cinema.’

It sounds awful, doesn’t it? In fact, it sounds like a sentence Tarzan would say. “Me Tarzan, you Jane!” And Tarzan grew up in the jungle with animals as his family. He didn’t go to school one day in his life!

The reason this sentence sounds so ridiculous is that ‘me’ is an object pronoun. ‘I’ is the equivalent subject pronoun, and in this particular example sentence, the word clearly represents the subject of the sentence or the doer of the action. So, the correct sentence should be:

‘I went to the cinema.’

So, returning to the original sentence, the correct version should be:

‘Jane and I went to the cinema.’

Note that ‘I’ is used as the second subject pronoun. Although not technically wrong, the sound of ‘I and Jane’, or indeed whatever the other subject is, is clumsy in the extreme, and so grammatical habit dictates that ‘I’ become the last listed subject pronoun if there is more than one. It would be the same if other pronouns are used with it. For example:

‘You and I went to the cinema.’ Not…

‘I and you went to the cinema.’

And it’s the same if there are three or more subjects or subject pronouns:

‘Jane, Tom and I went to the cinema.’ Or…

‘She, he and I went to the cinema.’

Let’s look at some more example sentences that include this mistake.

‘Neither you nor me wanted to do it.’ ‘You and I…’

‘She asked him and I if we could do it.’

‘She doesn’t like you or I.’

The final two examples above make the exact same mistake, but with the object pronoun. ‘Me’ is the object, not ‘I’. Of course, removing the other object ‘you’ would make this really obvious. For example:

‘She asked I if we could do it.’

‘She doesn’t like I.’

It just sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

It’s a simple mistake, but often the simplest mistakes are the easiest to make. So, when it comes to using ‘I’ and ‘me’, just use them individually in the sentence (without any other subjects or objects) and you will quickly see which makes sense.

The post I Vs Me: A Common Grammar Mistake appeared first on Linguix Blog.

But in business, obviously, it’s better to keep those mistakes to a minimum. If you are going to make mistakes, then follow this advice:

·  Don’t make the sort of simple mistakes that ruin your credibility (see the list below)

·  Don’t make them at the start of an email, post or communication where it will be blindingly obvious and give an immediate bad impression.

·  Try to learn from your mistakes and make improvements in the future.

·  Get others to help you by proofreading your text.

·  Proofread it yourself too (it’s amazing how many people don’t do this!)

So, what are the typical grammar mistakes that people make, and what can be done to fix them?

Sentence structure

This is a typical mistake as, of course, the structure of English is unique to the language. Other languages do not have the same structure and are all unique, and so trying to apply those structures with English words is just going to sound strange.

Unfortunately, this type of mistake is almost inevitable because, with a lack of knowledge, language learners will always revert back to their mother tongue for inspiration. A typical example is when speaking about possessions. Whereas saying ‘the pen of John’ would make perfect sense in all the romance languages, in English the more common ‘John’s pen’ would be used. Although the first structure is possible, it is considered extremely formal.

Adverbs cause problems too because the position of the adverb depends on what it is being used for. So, whereas it might be acceptable to say ‘always I am late’ in another language, in English it should be ‘I am always late.’

What is the solution to mistakes when English sentence structure? One approach is to look at a typical English sentence (in a newspaper, on a website, etc.) and identify all of the parts of speech. A part of speech is just the official name of a type of word – a noun, verb, adjective, etc.

Once you are able to easily identify all the parts of speech in a sentence (and you can use an online dictionary to help you) you can then start to appreciate the typical combinations that are used in an English sentence, and in what order. Alternatively, once the sentence is written you could paste it into Linguix’s grammar checker.

Verb tenses, their relationships, and ‘signal’ words

Poor grammar often begins with a lack of understanding about when and how to use the different verb tenses in English. This could be a mistake of selecting the wrong verb tense (using the present continuous instead of the present simple – ‘I’m believing you’ instead of ‘I believe you’, for example) or using the wrong combination.

Poor use of ‘signal’ words is typical. For example, ‘since’ is only used with present perfect and past perfect, not past simple (‘I did it since yesterday’ is a typical example of this mistake in practice).

Frequently review all the tenses in English to make sure you understand how to create the structure and why/when you need to use them. The most fluent speakers of English (or any language) are able to use different tenses together easily and without problems. To do this, you must understand the relationship between all the tenses, and also understand what ‘signal’ words are used with which verb tenses.

Definite Article ‘The’

Articles are different in all languages. Also, in English, there are many rules about when you should and shouldn’t use them. The result is that almost everyone makes mistakes with articles – even after speaking English for 20 years people can still make mistakes.

‘We want to establish the trust’

Unfortunately, mistakes of this kind can undermine the credibility of a sentence, so learning the rules of when (and when not) to use ‘the’ is of paramount importance. Here is a quick list for reference:

·  When we have referenced something before.

·  When something is specific.

·  When something is unique or there is only one in existence.

·  With superlatives.

·  With rivers, mountain ranges and SOME countries

·  But not with names or people, places, etc.

·  And not when something is just an example of one thing.

Subject / verb agreement

One of the most ubiquitous mistakes in the English language is between the subject and the verb. Here are some classic examples:

She swim…

Everyone have…

It don’t….

This is grammar 101. Reverting back to an elementary grammar book and completing the exercises should see this problem resolved. Or once again, you can use the grammar checker as provided by Linguix’s AI-powered writing tool.

The post Common Grammar Mistakes that Kill Credibility appeared first on Linguix Blog.

That’s a good question, and here’s a rule for you: use ‘who’ when you are talking about people, and ‘that’ when you are talking about things.

And that’s the end of the lesson!

Except it isn’t, because things are a little more complicated than that.

Because ‘that’ can actually represent people too, and has been used in this way by a host of famous writers down the years. So, if your high school English teacher told you to live by the rule as mentioned above, then he or she was actually a little wide of the mark.

‘Who’ is a relative pronoun, as is ‘which’. It is definitely correct to say that ‘who’ is for when you are talking about people, and ‘which’ is for when you are talking about things. This rule is non-negotiable.

However, ‘that’ is an acceptable alternative as a relative pronoun when using both ‘who’ and ‘which’. However, ‘that’ can only be used as a defining relative pronoun, and in a defining relative clause. It cannot be used as a non-defining relative pronoun in a non-defining relative clause.

Are you confused yet?

Don’t be, because this can be explained quite simply so you never need to make this mistake again.

Defining relative clauses

Defining relative pronouns are used in defining relative clauses. Defining relative clauses are used when the subject or object needs to be defined in order to be identified. Here is an example:

‘He is the man.’

Now, the natural question this raises is, ‘who?’, because without defining this man, we have no idea who is being referenced.

‘He is the man who lives next to my sister.’

Now we can identify him (he’s the man who lives next to my sister).

Here’s another example using ‘which’.

‘This is the mug.’

But which mug are we talking about?

‘This is the mug which I use for all my hot drinks.’

Now we know!

These examples both include what are called ‘defining relative clauses’. In both of these examples, ‘who’ and ‘which’ can be replaced with ‘that’, because the pronoun is defining. So:

‘He is the man that lives next to my sister.’

‘This is the mug that I use for all my hot drinks.’

So, to answer the original question, there is no difference between ‘who’ and ‘that’ when the relative pronoun is defining.

Non-defining relative clauses

But relative clauses are not only used to define something. They can also be used to add information.

In this case, ‘who’ and ‘which’ are still distinguished by whether they are adding information about a person or a thing.

‘My brother, who is a keen runner, lives a healthy lifestyle.’

‘My car, which is a Ford, is red.’

Now, the commas are a bit of a giveaway. That’s because everything included inside those commas is simply additional information that (which) is not required to define the subject of the sentence. If you removed those clauses, the sentences would still make sense:

‘My brother lives a healthy lifestyle.’

‘My car is red.’

It is also important to remember that the words ‘who’ and ‘which’, in the original non-defining relative clause examples, cannot be replaced with ‘that’. So:

‘My brother, that who is a keen runner, lives a healthy lifestyle.’

‘My car, that which is a Ford, is red.’

This simply doesn’t work, and the standard ‘who’ and ‘which’ must be used.

So, to answer the original question once again (what is the difference between ‘who’ and ‘that’?) the answer is that ‘who’ is for when you are talking about people, and ‘that’ is nothing!

So, it really all comes down to whether it’s a defining relative pronoun, or not!

The post Who Vs That: A Common Grammar Mistake appeared first on Linguix Blog.

But let’s not be too quick to point the finger, because bad grammar certainly existed in the time when only a bird was capable of producing a tweet.

There is no doubt that social media has facilitated the use of bad grammar (and spelling) but it is certainly not the cause of it. We could speculate all day long as to why people don’t seem to care as much about the way they communicate their message anymore, but the fact is, as long as they get that message across, there are many who don’t seem to care about the ‘how’.

But here’s the thing: the way you communicate that message does say a lot about you. And in business, appearances are crucial.

Let’s look at a few situations in which a workplace-related grammar gaffe could really have a negative impact on the bottom line of the business, and your individual reputation.

Bad grammar in emails

You are sending an email to a senior member of management, perhaps someone who, at least indirectly, has a role to play in your future career trajectory. What does bad grammar in your email say about your attention to detail or the value you place on the perception that colleagues (and by extension, clients) have of you?

Now it could be that this particular manager cares as little for grammar as you (may) do. But on the other hand, this person could see your error-strewn writing as a professional weakness that could well hold you back.

Bad grammar in marketing

The various ramifications of producing a grammatically incorrect piece of marketing material are probably quite obvious, and again the severity of doing just that will depend on your target audience.

Indeed, amongst younger, trendier audiences, inconsequential grammar oversights could make very little difference at all. But the thing about marketing material is that it is placed very much ‘out there’ for all to see. Any mistakes, no matter how trivial they may seem to you, are reflecting on your brand (and therefore you) in the most critical of ways.

There is an expression along the lines of ‘any publicity is good publicity’, but in terms of grammatical mishaps in your marketing campaigns, that is just not true.

Bad grammar in business literature

Business literature, such as company handbooks, is really just another piece of marketing material, except it could be that this time you are marketing to an internal audience. And as the author of that material, you are actually marketing yourself at the same time. The bad grammar here, as in an important email, is not going to reflect well on you at all.

Bad grammar on social media

Bad grammar is acceptable on social media, right? After all, it’s the Wild West of the written word!

Wrong! Because in amongst all the noise and lack of grammatical consideration are all those people and businesses that can truly define your future career. And in among that number are people who keep a close eye on such things. Again, it is all about accuracy, your attention to detail, and the level of care that you give to your reputation and the way that you are perceived. In business, that matters!

Bad grammar on your resume

Perhaps the biggest grammar ‘fail’ of them all. A mistake on a resume never looks good. If there is one piece of written material that says more about you than anything else, it is your resume.

So, take the time, due care and attention to put something together that is completely free from errors. Use an online writing assistant such as Linguix to help you, proofread it several times, and then get someone else to take a look. It really is important that you put your best foot forward on the marketing literature when the product is you.

Classic mistakes

The classic mistakes when it comes to grammar are oh so predictable. Here is a little list just to get started:

·  their / there

·  to / too

·  I / me

·  who / whom

·  which / that

·  is / are

·  its/it’s

The possibilities are perhaps endless, but it is the truly obvious mistakes that reflect worst of all. In most cases, it’s just a complete lack of proofreading. Don’t make that mistake!

The post Why Good Grammar is Crucial For Work appeared first on Linguix Blog.

This is a practical approach to take.

Then there is another group of staunch grammarians who fight the corner of correct grammar application. Unfortunately, among this number are a small number of pedants who relish pointing out others’ mistakes, which only succeeds in adding more numbers to the first group mentioned. Fortunately, they are the minority, because within this grammarian grouping are people who realize that, although not a matter of life and death, good grammar symbolizes, and achieves, so much.

Your grammar says something about you

Like it or not, the way that we speak and the way that we write says something about us: it communicates an idea to the other person that can be hard to undo once established. Of course, our unique accent is a part of this, but unlike our grammar, our accent is part of our identity and is therefore not something we have chosen or something of which we should be ashamed.

But with grammar, whether it is on your resume, on a social media posting, or as part of your brand literature, sloppiness, or incorrect usage, is just a bad look!

President Trump, who is a serial Tweeter, has often fallen into the trap of using bad grammar…

‘It would be great for the Republican Party of Nevada, and it’s unity…’ (it’s = its)

‘How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign…’ (was = were)

But President Trump is far from alone in that:

‘The Iraqis need to be very much involved. They were the people that was brutalized by this man.’ (George W. Bush) (was brutalized = were brutalized)

‘It’s just about impossible to find a matter of justice he hasn’t tackled and someone who isn’t more uniquely qualified to lead the FBI.’ (Barack Obama, who should have said ‘someone who is’, to avoid the double negative)

Urope (7^th President Andrew Jackson, attempting to spell “Europe”)

American presidents are a rarefied breed, but the importance of leaving a good impression is just as important for us everyday folk in more or less everything we produce. Speaking informally with friends is one thing, but having mastery over our grammar in formal situations does reveal us in a good light. History shows us that.

Good grammar fosters clear communication

Those who are rather lackadaisical about their grammar will often utter the words ‘But you know what I mean, don’t you?’ The problem is that the answer to that question is not always ‘yes’.

The fundamental point of using the correct language is that it is the best way to accurately convey your message. In a work context, there can be little space for misunderstanding. Indeed, misunderstandings can prove expensive. Hence, clear and succinct communication, delivered with the correct grammatical forms to aid understanding, is vital.

And you can certainly apply this message to marketing. Think about a marketing slogan that leaves the target audience wondering what the message is trying to say. Is that an effective means of marketing to somebody, if they are not sure what you are even trying to say?

That’s the confusion bad grammar causes. And here are some classic examples:

‘So fun, they won’t even know their learning.’ (A toy retailer, getting their ‘theirs’ and theres’ mixed up)

‘Perfection has it’s price.’ (a famous beer brand not having much luck with its ‘its’)

Language is worth using correctly

The final argument for good grammar is one that appeals to romance: the beauty of language. If the practical elements of using correct grammatical forms don’t persuade you that language is worth using correctly, then it is worth considering the gift that we have been passed down through the generations. It is a gift that makes us distinctly human after all.

The power of words has been the engine behind all of man’s historical achievements. Why take liberties with something so powerful?

The post Why Good Grammar is Important appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Quite simply, to many people, simple grammatical and spelling errors reflect badly on you, and can be a sign (rightly or wrongly) of some deeper personality defect, such as laziness, carelessness, or even (perhaps unfairly) a lack of education and or general intelligence.

Indeed, research conducted in the Netherlands found this to be true in terms of online dating: that careless mistakes send out entirely the wrong message to potential mates.

With this evidence in mind, what are some of the most obvious errors to watch out for?

Careless spelling

There are two types of spelling mistakes. The first involves words that you may genuinely not know how to spell (such as the word onomatopoeia, meaning words that represent a sound – ‘bang’, for example), and then words that you know how to spell, but you misspell due to carelessness (too/to/two!)

And let’s be honest, with an absolute plethora of spell- and grammar-checking software out there (like Linguix), there is really very little reason to make any spelling mistakes, simple or otherwise.

The fact is, most of these mistakes are made because we do things in a hurry. We often type on our phones while on the go, so it is inevitable that mistakes will be made. That’s why it is so important to re-read everything you have written before you hit ‘post’ or ‘send’.

If people see your sloppy spelling mistakes as you just not taking the time to be careful, then they are probably right. And is it really unfair to then let this influence their judgment of you on an online dating site? After all, all people can do is interpret all of the images and text in front of them to ascertain what kind of person is on the other side?

The same study in the Netherlands discovered that sloppy spelling actually influenced perceived attractiveness. So that means bad spelling and grammar can actually make you less attractive to the other person on the online dating site! So, if you want to be gorgeous, use spell-check, and proofread!

Random (or missing) punctuation

People like to show off their personality with the way they use emojis and exclamation points, but overdoing it with this punctuation tool, or likewise being careless with commas and periods, can also have an effect on the way that you are perceived on an online dating site.

Your quirkiness with the exclamation points may be seen less positively by others (are you shouting? Or are you constantly amazed by everything!!!!!!!!)

And don’t forget that missing punctuation can also lead to misunderstandings. Sometimes serious!

Capital letters

There is a correct way to use capital letters, but even more interestingly perhaps, the way that people use capital letters has come to symbolize their personality, at least according to research conducted into some online daters. The use of correct capitals, although correct, may in fact represent a sort of conservatism in the person, while someone who uses all lower case may be seen as being a bit more relaxed. Undoubtedly, over-use of caps (LIKE THIS) is to be avoided at all costs, as it can look unnecessarily aggressive, or shouty!

But what about the typical demographics of these grammar-focused daters?

Age

Unsurprisingly, the research conducted in the Netherlands focused on older online daters. Younger people tend to be a little more relaxed about things, but that still doesn’t mean that poor grammar and spelling will not reflect badly on you.

Gender

According to research conducted by Zook, an online dating website, women care more about correct grammar and spelling in profiles and online messages than male daters. Perhaps that is because women look at the bigger picture in general when considering the suitability of a date. 65% of women polled by Zoopla considered it a potential reason to say ‘no’, while only 40% of men agreed. We can only speculate as to the reasons for this!

In summary

If you are trying to make a good impression, everything is important. And in the sphere of dating, where choices are so arbitrary anyway, why give someone the reason to ignore your profile, when you could be giving them the reason to give you a chance! And this, it seems, is particularly true if you are looking to attract a slightly older female companion!

The post Why Good Grammar is Important When Online Dating appeared first on Linguix Blog.

We’ve come up with an ultimate list of 23 most frequent errors that you should stop making in your writing.

1. They’re vs. Their vs. There

“Their” and “there” are homophones, i.e., words that have the same pronunciation but different meaning. To always correctly identify which word to use, remember that “there” is the opposite of “here” and refers to a place, while “their” describes possession. Also, “they’re” is just a contraction of “they are” (or “they were”).

We’ve published a comprehensive guide with multiple examples of using their/there on practice.

2. Your vs. You’re

Similar to the previous issue here we have two homophones which are often tricky to use correctly. The word “your” denotes possession while “you’re” is a contraction for “you are.”

Examples:

This is your decision.

Wow, you’re so fast!

3. Its vs. It’s

Another puzzle that might be very hard to solve even for the most educated people. “Its” denotes possession like “your” or “their,” and “It’s” is a contraction for “it is.” In such cases the ‘s makes people think that there is possession involved as well, which is wrong.

4. Could/would/should of

When you say a contracted form of the phrase “could have” which is “could’ve” it sounds similar to “could of.” This is why sometimes people, especially non-natives, think this is right to write it like this. The thing is the contracted form for could/would/should have is ‘ve, and no “of” involved here.

Bad: We could of been there right now.

Good: We could’ve been there right now.

5. To vs. two vs. too

English is full of homophones, isn’t it? Many language learners mix to/two/too because they sound so similar. To avoid this mistake, you should remember that:

• “To” is used in the infinitive form of a verb or has the meaning “towards.”
• “Too” means “also.”
• “Two” is just a word form of a number 2.

Bad: Let’s go too the party.

Good: Let’s go to the party.

6. Then vs. than

Another top widespread mistake which, again, originates from the similarities of those two words. To avoid errors, remember that you use “than” in comparisons, while “then” can be used to indicate that something follows something else.

Examples:

She was a better player than him

We will go to school first, then to the playground.

7. Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique

This one is not that popular as “who vs. whom” puzzle, but still can be found quite often. People may even know what word they want to use, but still, make a mistake in writing.

The word “peek” means to take a quick look at something, while “peak” is a top point, say, of a mountain. The hardest word in this sequence is “pique” which means “to provoke.”

There is a piece of mnemonic advice to sort it out in your head fast:

• You have to reach some threshold to get to the peak.
• If you peer at something, you are peeking.
• If you’re piqued by or about something, this means you have some questions about it.

8. Who vs. Whom vs. Whose vs. Who’s

“Who vs. Whom” dilemma is one of the trickiest puzzles the English language has to offer to a learner. We’ve already taken on it in one of our previous posts.

There is a fast way to decide between the two words to see how you can substitute the target word. If you can replace the actor in the sentence with “he” or “she,” then you use “who.” If “him” or “her” looks better than use “whom.”

In turn, “whose” is used to assign ownership, while “who’s” is a contraction for “who is”:

Whose car is that?

Who’s calling the customer today?

9. Who vs. That

One of the trickiest things to figure out. Both words are used for descriptions, and when you describe the person the correct option is “who”:

Bad: Jane is a marketer that has huge experience in working with international customers.

Good: Jane is a marketer who has huge experience in working with international customers.

However, when you’re describing an object, it is correct to use “that”:

Good: This is a car that I’d like to buy one day.

10. Alot vs. A lot vs. Allot

Yep, some people think that “alot” is a real word. It is not, so never use it. If you mean to say about a vast number of something, then you should use “a lot.”

“Allot” is a complicated word you can easily replace, but if you are interested, it means “to assign as a share or portion” or “to distribute by or as if by lot”:

Allot five minutes for each pitch.

11. Into vs. In to

Yes, these could be mistyped as well. To be always correct, you should remember that “into” indicates movement while you can use “in to” in multiple situations when both these words are connected to different other words. For example, if you have a phrase “call in to a game” here “in” is a part of a verb.

So, if you want to write a sentence where someone or something is moving, use “into.”

12. Lose vs. Loose

One more pair of homophones. Really, these two words are spelled so similarly, that there is no surprise, a lot of people make mistakes when writing them.

To avoid such errors, you should know that “lose” is a verb that means that you can’t find something, or you fail to win or solve some task. You can lose a game or your wallet.

In turn, “loose” is an adjective that denotes something “not tightly fastened, attached or held” as outlined by dictionaries.

So, when you are talking about the game, someone could not win, or an object one fails to find, use the word with one “o” – “lose.”

13. Affect vs. Effect

People often confuse these words when talking about changes that were inspired by some event.

Bad: That book effected me strongly.

The truth is that “effect” is the verb used to denote that the change is taking place.

Good: That new play had a significant effect on the audience.

However, if you describe a situation when something happened, and it provoked changes, then “affect” will be OK.

Good: That book affected me so much!

14. Do’s and Don’ts

These words look strange because of apostrophes which are located in different places. The most frequent mistake here is to put an apostrophe in the wrong place for “don’ts”:

Bad: Five Do’s and Dont’s of content creation.

There actually two commonly used styles for these words.  The Chicago Manual of Style offers the following writing: “dos and don’ts.”

15. Me vs. I

Though the absolute majority of language learners correctly identify the difference between “me” and “I” when it comes to using them in sentences, there might be some difficulties

Bad: When you finish the report, send it to John and I.

Good: When you finish the report, send it to John and me.

To identify the correct word to use, search for an object in the sentence. In the example above there are two objects – “John” and “I.” But the word “I” should not serve as an object. There is “me” for that purpose.

16: Run-on Sentences and Comma Splice

Let’s move to the more tricky grammar issues. A run-on sentence arrives when you join two independent clauses without proper punctuation and with no relevant conjunction. This is very similar to the comma splice. The difference is that in such case a comma separate two clauses still with no conjunction.

There are several solutions to the problem you can apply:

1. Just separate two clauses into independent sentences.
2. Use a semi-colon instead of a comma.
3. Use coordinating conjunctions like “and” or “but” to replace the comma.
4. Subordinating conjunctions like “although,” “if,” “since” suit for this purpose as well
5. The more elegant and sophisticated solution is replacing the comma with the semi-colon plus transitional word (“however,” “moreover,” etc.)

Bad: John is very good at football, he began playing in the team when he was five.

Good: John is very good at football. He began playing in the team when he was five. (You can use either of five fixes above you like).

17. Pronoun agreement errors

Sometimes people mistype or forget that pronouns should agree in number with the corresponding nouns. The singular noun should have singular referring pronoun.

Bad: Everybody should take their lunch box.

Good: Everybody should take his or her lunch box.

18. Mistakes with apostrophes

In the English language, apostrophes are often used to demonstrate possession. However, there are also possessive pronouns (my, mine, his, her, their, etc.) and after them, you do not use apostrophes.

Bad: I parked next to his’ car.

Good: I parked next to his car.

For “it’s” the apostrophe does not denote possession, it is merely a contraction for “it is.”

Bad: Its a warm day for December.

Good: It’s a warm day for December.

19. Subject/Verb agreement errors

If you write a sentence in the present tense, then there should be an agreement in number between subjects and verbs. If the subject is singular so should be the verb, and if your subject is plural the same applies to the verb linked to it.

Bad: These cars is good for newbies.

Good: These cars are good for newbies.

20. Dangling modifiers

To make your writing crisp and clear you must always put the modifier next to the word it modifies. Everyone should be able to understand this connection at a glance.

Bad: He saw a puppy and a kitten on the way to the office.

Good: On the way to the office, he saw a puppy and a kitten.

21. Using ‘They’ to describe a company

Quite often you can meet the word “they” describing the specific company in blog posts, media articles. People do this because they think about business as a group of people. It seems legit to use “they” in such a scenario, but a word “company” or “business” is not plural. Therefore it is “it,” not “they.”

Bad: Apple is planning to release their new iPhone later this year.

Good: Apple is planning to release its new iPhone later this year.

22. Incomplete Comparisons

This is not a critical issue. However, it makes your writing less confident. Look at this example:

Bad: Our new software is faster, more reliable, and robust.

Here we have a comparison, and an object we try to compare, but we miss another object we are referring to. Shortly speaking, our new software is faster than what? Another software, previous version of our own tool, something else?

The rule is that when you’re comparing something, there should be at least two objects, or the comparison will be incomplete.

23. Possessive Nouns

Usually, possessive nouns have an apostrophe, but it is not always that clear where to put it. It depends on a singular or plural noun it relates to. Here is an example:

All of the boy’s toys were broken.

This sentence is a bit unclear: the apostrophe tells us that there is a specific boy, whose toys are broken, but the word “all” in the beginning indicates that there might be a lot of boys.

Here are some rules to follow:

• If you have a plural noun then the apostrophe should go after the “s.” (The boys’ toys.)
• When you have a singular noun that ends in “s,” the apostrophe will go after the “s” again. (Example: the school bus’ yellow color.)
• If the noun is singular and does not end with “s,” you should put the apostrophe before the “s.” (The boy’s toys).

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