A Visit from the Grammar Police

Anyone who writes for any reason and expects others to read it should take care that their writing is grammatically correct, proper punctuation is used, and words are spelled correctly. The subject matter should flow smoothly between paragraphs. No matter how valid your topic is, sloppy writing looks unprofessional and detracts from your work.

Don't depend on spellchecking programs to catch all your errors for you; they won't. Two words with different meanings and that are spelled differently will almost always be overlooked by these programs when they are spelled correctly, whether the usage is correct or not. For some humorous examples, check out this poem!

Once you have finished a piece of work that you intend to publish, leave it until the next day before editing and proofreading. I am amazed at how many errors will jump out at me the next morning when my mind is rested. If your language arts skills are not good, that doesn't mean you can't be an author! Find someone who does possess these skills and ask them to proofread your writing before publishing.

To check your grammar, try reading the piece out loud. Does it sound awkward, or does the language flow smoothly? If you're not sure, read it to a friend or family member who will give you their honest opinion!

It is especially important for those wishing to promote a business that their marketing materials are free of writing errors. When I see a sales pitch full of poor grammar, punctuation, and spelling it makes me wonder if the business person is as careless in the management of their business. Your sales material needs to make a good first impression to lend credibilty to your business endeavors.

Their, There, Now

With this in mind, I offer a brief lesson on a few common spelling errors I often see. "Their" and "there" are often used incorrectly, and let's not forget about "they're." "Their" is also often misspelled "thier."

"They're" is a contraction for "they are." Example: The children are excited because they're going to the zoo today.

"Their" is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership: My parents took me for a ride in their new car.

"There" indicates a place: I need to visit my parents' house since I haven't been over there in a while.

Remember which spelling to use with these hints:

Notice that "their" includes the word "heir" which will remind you of the correct spelling and that the word has to do with possession.

"There" includes the word "here," meaning a place.

When you're not sure whether "they're" is correct, read the sentence using "they are" and see if it makes sense. If not, follow the rules for the other two spellings to determine which is appropriate for your sentence.

It's/Its Confusion

Another very common error is the misuse of it's and its. "Its" is a possessive pronoun, used in the place of a noun. You don't use an apostrophe with the possessive in this case, any more than you would write her's or their's (I hope not, anyway, if you do, it's wrong!) Example: My dog is eating its food."

"It's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." Nothing else.

Examples: It's (it is) raining outside. It's (it has) rained since early this morning.

If you're confused about which form to use, replace the "it's" in your sentence with "it is" or "it has." Still make sense? If not, leave out the apostrophe.

You can express yourself any way you want to when writing for pleasure, but using nonstandard English when applying for a job, writing for publication, or marketing a business opportunity may give the reader the impression you are poorly educated or just not too bright. Using standard English allows you to communicate effectively with others and leaves a good impression.