Ten (10) Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Idiot

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE RULES! Basic grammar rules go a long way in communicating intelligence, authority and command of the English language to your readers. Far too many people and bloggers make mistakes that ruin their credibility, undermine their authority and leave them open to vicious attacks upon their writing. Following is the list of Ten Common Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Like An Idiot.

1. Their vs There vs They're

Their, there, and they're do not follow the rules regarding adding an apostrophe to make it possessive. Proper usage of these words is as follows:

Word - They're
Meaning - Short for "they are"
Example - They're using bad form.

Word - Their
Meaning - Possessive version of "they"
Example - I want to ride in their car.

Word - There
Meaning - Indication of location
Example - I am going over there.

2. You're vs. Your

This common mistake drives people crazy and the rule is as follows:

Word - You're
Meaning - Contraction for You are
Example - You're an idiot.

Word - Your
Meaning - Describes the owner as someone else.
Example - Your decisions are questionable.

3. It's vs. Its

It's and its break the rule of "add apostrophe s to make a word possessive." The correct usage of the two words are:

Word - It's
Meaning - Short for: It Is
Example - It is a common mistake.

Word - Its
Meaning - Possessive version of "it"
Example - Its operating system works well.

4. A vs. An

These two words are often misused because what may sound right may not be grammatically correct. The rule is as follows.

A - Use "a" when the following word does not SOUND like it begins with a vowel.

An - Use "an" when the following word does sound like it starts with a vowel.

The crux here is the sound of the word. In practice, therefore the word "honest" sounds like it begins with an "o" and therefore "an" should be in front of it.

Whereas "union" sounds like it begins with a "y" and therefore should have an a in front of it.

Word - a
Example - I really need a computer.

Word - an
Example - Why is there an apple on my desk?

5. Two vs. Too vs. To

The proper use of these words are as follows:

Word - Two
Meaning - The number "2"
Example - The family is selling two puppies.

Word - Too
Meaning - Excessive
Example - Some people have too much money.

Word - To
Meaning - functional word used to indicate relative position.
Example - On your way to the dance, stop and get some drinks.

6. Lie vs. Lay vs. Laid

Lie is what is called an intransitive verb, however lay is a transitive verb. Therefore this means, lie is something you do to yourself and lay is something you do to someone or something else.

Word - Lie
Example - I am exhausted and it is time for me to lie down.

Word - Lay
Example - Sometimes I must lay down my jacket over a puddle.

The past tense use of these words always causes a problem with people. This is because the past tense of lie is lay and the past tense of lay is laid.

Word - Lay
Example - As she lay on the bed, she began to doze of.

Word - Laid
Example - I laid my dog down in his bed.

Word - lay
Example - She lay in the shade, remembering her youth.
laid He laid the infant in the crib.

7. I vs. Me

How many times do we frustratingly hear "He is traveling with Scott and I." Bloggers and paid speakers alike frequently make this error.

Figuring out the correct usage is very easy. Simply leave out the other pronoun in the sentence and determine if it sounds right. Looking at the above example would yield "He is traveling with I." Obviously this is incorrect and therefore "me" should be in that sentence.

8. Effect vs. Affect

The proper use of these words is as follows:

Word - Affect
Meaning - To Act Upon
Example - Traffic affects the monetization of a website.

Word - Effect
Meaning - The creation an impression that is desired.
Example - The effect of an increase in traffic can have a positive effect on your website.

9. I.E. vs. E.G.

For some reason people think that they can just interchange these words. When read by someone that understands their correct usage, misusing them has an enormously negative effect. The rule is:

i.e. - means "in other words"
e.g. - means "for example"

Word - i.e.
Example - The athlete was convicted of a felony. (i.e., he will face at least a year in jail)

Word - e.g.
Example - The quarterback is highly paid. (e.g. he is generally has the highest salary on the team)

10. Irregardless

People use this word often to sound linguistically professional, however the word is generally reserved to formal and casual writing. Historically, the word is a rarely used combination of irrespective and regardless into a single word.

When people use this word, they use it mistakenly when they should be saying "regardless", not "irregardless.

Word - Regardless
Example - Regardless of what some people think, wine in moderation can be healthy for you.

Bonus

- alot

THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS "ALOT!" It is two words "a" and "lot". A common homonym "allot" confuses many people. Allot means to distribute. E.g., A good leader understands how to allot responsibilities.