Part of the reason I enjoy my editorial work is that it comes so naturally to me. I literally (LITERALLY) sight-edit every single piece of text that comes into my scope of vision–from TV ads to billboards to websites to books and magazines. And I find lots of mistakes.
While this is a great skill to have as a writer and editor, it can sometimes make me seem a little obsessive, especially if you have the nerve to ask me to edit your work. I will find and point out every single error, no matter how small. It’s just who I am, and I’ve learned to handle the name-calling and annoyed colleagues. (One of my closest friends calls me “Anal Angie,” which, despite the way it sounds, is not a name that links me to the porn industry.)
As I struggle to ignore glaring grammatical goof-ups and painful punctuation problems that assault my sensibilities every day, I thought I’d share a bit of insight with my fellow writers. In addition to habitually misplaced apostrophes and just plain old bad grammar–misused homonyms and mispronounced or misspelled words make me absolutely insane. Maybe you can relate?
But besides making some random editor crazy, writers who use improper language are at risk of detracting from their own credibility. Whether you’re writing conversationally for a blog, or you’re writing something more formal, your readers are likely to notice “the little things,” and, if they’re like me, they’ll judge you and assume that your information is as unreliable as your sense of the language. At best, you’ll lose one reader–and at worst, they’ll tell their friends.
Let’s discuss, shall we?
1. Supposably vs. Supposedly–Supposably is not a word. You mean supposedly.
- Example: The dog was supposedly potty trained, but he still poops in the house.
2. Anyways vs. Anyway–Anyway is right, anyways is wrong.
- Example: I told her she could go out, but she stayed home anyway.
3. Accept vs. Except–Accept is a verb meaning “agree with” or “receive.” Except is a preposition meaning “apart from.”
- Example: I accept your decision to be a content mill writer. or The editor accepted my submission!
- Example: Everyone understood her decision, except for her mother.
4. Affect vs. Effect–Affect is a verb meaning “to influence or change.” Effect is a noun meaning “the result of” and also a verb meaning “to cause something to occur.”
- Example: Your bad attitude doesn’t affect the way I feel about you.
- Example: My positive outlook had no effect on his negative one. or We can effect change by changing our minds.
5. Complementary vs. Complimentary–Complementary refers to things (or people) which go well together. Complimentary indicates that something is free, or refers to saying nice things about someone else (giving praise.)
- Example: The bridesmaids’ dresses are complementary to the overall theme of the wedding.
- Example: We got complimentary lollipops from the tellers at the bank. or The client was very complimentary about your work.
6. Of vs. Have–In American English, many people say “of” when they mean “have” simply because they sound similar when we speak. “Of” is a preposition with many connotations–but usually it links a noun to another noun. Have is a verb, meaning to possess, to occupy, to hold or to exhibit in action. It can also mean to receive, to accept, to take or suffer from, among other things.
- Example: You are full of great ideas!
- Example: Have you heard the news? or I have three kids. or I won’t have you in my house when you’re behaving that way! or I have CRS disease. or I would have asked her, but I thought she wouldn’t listen anyway.
7. You’re vs. Your–Your is a possessive pronoun. You’re is a contraction, meaning “you are.”
- Example: Your children are driving me batty.
- Example: You’re being a little ridiculous, aren’t you?
8. There vs. Their vs. They’re–There is a noun that refers to a specific or general place or can be used as a pronoun. Their is a plural possessive pronoun, referring to something that belongs to a group of people. They’re is a contraction for “they are.”
- Example: There is no way I’m going over there.
- Example: I heard that their house will be on the market soon.
- Example: They’re crazy if they think I’m paying $50 for a piece of cardboard.
9. Passed vs. Past–Passed is the past tense of “to pass.” Past refers to something that happened before or can indicate that something has been moved beyond.
- Example: I passed the test with flying colors. or Even though she was the most highly qualified candidate, she was passed over in favor of the hiring manager’s friend.
- Example: In the past, Johnny walked to school, but now he rides the bus. or When I walked past your house, I saw you undressing with the window open.
10. Than vs. Then–Than is a preposition or a grammatical particle and is used to compare two or more things. Then is a noun or an adverb, meaning next or at that time. It can also mean “also” or “besides” and can be used to balance or qualify a statement, or as a consequence.
- Example: I’d rather have a Klondike bar than a stick of celery.
- Example: I went to class, and then I went to lunch. or I’ll see Billy tonight, so I’ll ask him about the tickets then. or She had to pay $20 for the shirt, and then another $5 to have her name printed on the back. or I am freaking out about this beauty pageant, but then what 34 year old wouldn’t freak about being in a beauty pageant? or Your own perception, then, is the reason for your unhappiness.
So there we have it–my list of the top ten most annoyingly misused homonyms and fake words. Do you have any homonym struggles, or are there any fake words that drive you nuts? Tell us what you think!
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To a writer, a grammatical error should be what a wrong dose of medication is to a doctor – not acceptable. And if you don’t write for a living, you should still be able to write correctly in your own language. It used to make me grin with satisfaction (on the inside) when my husband’s ex-wife sent us angry letters riddled with spelling mistakes, always written in pencil. I’m sure she never meant for me to feel that way.
Fanny,
I have to admit that would make me smile too. And, in similar situations, I have found similar satisfaction.
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Here’s another: using “loose” for the “lose.” It drives me crazy.
Ugh. Delete the “the.”
Haha, that one drives me crazy too!
Angela Atkinson recently posted..Check Out the New Writing Jobs Board from WMF
Great article, thanks. I like to jokingly say that I can proofread with my eyes closed – I also sight edit everything that I see. Another common error I am seeing more and more is leaving the final ‘d’ off past tense verbs–especially in ‘use/used’ and ‘suppose/supposed’. (Incorrect) ex. “In the past, we use to do it this way” or “Aren’t you suppose to eat the red ones last?”
Ohhh, that’s a good one! Definitely cringeworthy!
Angela Atkinson recently posted..Check Out the New Writing Jobs Board from WMF
Fingernails on a blackboard don’t annoy me. “Off of” makes my teeth hurt. “Off” alone will suffice.
In written English I also loathe apostrophe abuse. Not every word that ends in “S” needs an apostrophe! The apostrophe indicates possessive, yet I often see it used for plural words. I have a BA in English; if I see a deli advertising “hot and cold hero’s” I’ll get my lunch elsewhere, thank you.
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Karen, I could not agree more, on both counts. Thanks for the comment, fellow #usguys member!
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Angie, I misunderestimated your ability to edit.
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Hahahaha…good one, Lory!! I knew I loved your sense of humor.
Great post!
Although I consider myself more of a writer than an editor I too find myself editing every sign, ad or book I read!
Two of my biggest pet peeves is the misuse of the words, “too vs to” and the overuse of the word “that.” In fact, just get rid of that!
I hope you can find the restraint from editing my post!
Hope you’re having a great day too!
Haha! Those are frustrating ones for me too. I cringe when people write things like “they are the people that bought the store,” too.
Here’s another one: principal vs. principle. It drives me crazy when people write “The principle idea of the story is….” I’ve even seen business cards listing a person’s title as “Principle” of a company.
I second Karen’s loathing for excessive use of apostrophes. I hate when people write “The Thompson’s are hosting the party” and stuff like that.
Yikes on the business cards! That’s crazy. And I completely agree on the apostrophe abuse thing. I have seen families who have something like “The Smith’s” printed on their mailbox or door plaques. Hilarious. I don’t have the heart to tell them about it when it’s permanently inscribed.
Another often misused set is insure/ensure.
Thanks for the article, Angie! It’s good to know there are others out there that find improper grammar and usage to be their “fingernails on a chalk board.”
Hi Anita! Insure/ensure is another good one. Thanks for the comment.
Hate to do this, but:
“In addition to habitually misplaced apostrophes and just plain old bad grammar–misused homonyms and mispronounced or misspelled words make me absolutely insane.”
That dash (which copied and pasted as a hyphen due to the non-proportional font) should be a comma.
Haha, you don’t hate to do it. If you’re anything like me, you love to do it. Nice catch. Good thing this is a blog post, huh?
Thanks for the comment.
Well, I can’t argue with these being the top ten offenders, because these annoy me on a daily basis! I think, however, that honorable mention should be given to the non-word “irregardless.” You mean “regardless,” *****es!!
Ron, I literally LOL’d at your comment. I totally forgot about “irregardless.” It hurts my fingers just typing that one! I agree, that one ought to rank in the top ten.
Brilliant post! Thank you. I’m a writer and wish I could sub with my eyes… In need of you lovely Subs with red pen in hand (or head), so I say stay anal (no reference to the porn industry here either)!
Thanks Jo! And LOL @ the porn industry comment!
Angela Atkinson recently posted..Check Out the New Writing Jobs Board from WMF
Great post, great comments. I thought I was one of the few who obsessively sight-edits. Now I know I’m one of the many. Here’s another error I’ve seen often recently: predominate, instead of predominant. “Obfuscation is the predominate mode of speech among politicians.” Argh, no! It’s the predominant mode.
Yikes! That one drives me crazy too!
Angela Atkinson recently posted..Check Out the New Writing Jobs Board from WMF
These are all great examples and they all annoy me, too. I worked for many years in graphic arts, and every sign I saw I would check for errors. And I often found what I was looking for. That has carried over into my writing – and reading. But the two that you mentioned that I think annoy me the most – maybe I should say three: ‘your, you’re’; ‘there, they’re, their’; and ‘then, than’.
I was going to mention another one, but Ron beat me to it!
But some not-so-common examples could be: elicit, illicit; eminent, imminent.
I’m glad someone has finally written about this. The people I talk to about it can’t see that it matters as long as you get your message across. But if your message is sloppy, maybe your product or service is just as sloppy.
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I sense that we’re kindred spirits, Diane. Thanks for your comment!
I wasn’t certain where I fell in the gamut between perfectionist and not until I read these replies:) I think I’m middle of the road leaning toward perfectionism. i will compromise on the deli. While it’s true their grammar isn’t great, their food might be. I’ll still give it a try.
The grammatical issues brought up all bug me too. They should! I’m 65. I grew up in the days when we had to learn to spell (still do!) and our teachers hammered in the grammar. In my home it was strongly reinforced by my parents. To illustrate, let me just say that I could be crying, trying to tell what happened and why I was so sad, and my mother would correct my grammar!! Needless to say, I was NOT that mother…and my children survived to all do well anyway:)
Regarding the grammar and spelling issues that have been mentioned, let me say that when I see them in a person’s writing (and I’m very new at writing!) my view of them moves down a few notches. If a person whose job is in the field of writing…or anything that requires being professional…they don’t look qualified if they can’t spell or use their words correctly. (i’m already messing up by doing too many parentheses and … please forgive. I’m dashing this off as a quick note, not writing for publication.)
Sadly, for those who count on spellcheck, none of these problems get caught. It makes me glad I went to school in the good old days!
I agree with you 100 percent. I feel the same way when I see published work that’s riddled with errors. And I agree with you that in a casual forum like this one, there’s no need to go crazy editing one’s self.
Thanks for your comment!
I stopped assisting people with their online dating profiles. And by people I mean guys. Not only because of their Judd Apatow devotion, but not one of them–last count, 9–could differentiate between “let’s” and “lets.”
“Lets see where this goes.”
“My boss let’s me golf on summer Fridays.”
And, Angela, as you noted: “Your” and “you’re” were lost causes.
I ended this fascinating career point with:
“Looks GREAT! Post away.”
Like minds always find each other.
Yikes! I can’t even imagine. Probably better that you stopped helping them. Let their potential mates know what they’re getting themselves into.
Thanks for the comment!
Lovely examples and you’ve got a lot of comments, so obviously hit a chord. In England, we never say ‘Anyways’, so I don’t hear or see that one. All of the others are common here too. I was going to talk about ‘errant apostrophes’ but somebody beat me to it – we call them ‘greengrocers’ apostrophes’ (cabbage’s, carrot’s, etc on signs in the window).
Depressingly, the web doesn’t help and plenty of people who should know better say ‘don’t worry about grammar and spelling, just get it out there’ – Seth Godin is a notable exception to this; a beacon of responsibility.
Call me anal if you like (no ‘porn’ intended) but if it isn’t presented well, the cred of the author must be questionable.
Now, before I press ‘send’, I must check what I’ve written…:)
Haha, I like your style, Rob. Thanks for the comment!
I’ve been on a crusade for the last 15 years to help people understand the difference between the adjective “everyday” and the phrase “every day.” As you’ve probably noticed, I’m losing the battle. Everyone seems to think they’re interchangeable. Even copywriters who get paid big bucks to know better get it wrong. (I just proofread the previous three sentences five times before I hit…
AMEN! I finally got Toyota to see my point, and they quit using “everyday” — but McDonald’s just won’t give it up.
HOWEVER comma, Angela. “Except” is also a verb meaning “to omit or exclude” (from a generalization, usually). “Present company excepted,” for example.
I too am a can’t-help-it sight editor, having learned to read when all printed copy had been rigorously edited and then proofed. My least favorite homonym abusers say “reigns” when they mean “reins” or vice versa. Worse yet, a copyeditor/proofreader (per her self-description) recently wrote, “free reigns” — in a purportedly authoritative post to a group of copywriters on LinkedIn! AAAAGH!
You can imagine the fun and games I have as an English person living, working and proof-reading in the USA.
All the above simply drive me nuts but I must add the compulsion some of my clients have to Capitalize Words Completely At Random.
Example: Meet our Trained Staff who will help you choose your Carpet or Vinyl Flooring.
Another is the use of abbreviations in copy.
Example: We have classes on Mon, Tues and Fri.
And I’ll bet that you’re all like me and can’t go out to dinner without proofing the menu. Yes, I’ve seen “Lion of Pork”. Again, it’s the capitalization thing – I can live with the capitals in “Shrimp in White Wine” but then comes the description … “Fresh Caught Shrimp Cooked In White Wine With Mushrooms…”
Aaarrrggghhh!
And in the last five years, I think I’ve only seen a couple of writers get pore/pour correct. If you’re reading a book carefully, you’re poring over it. If you dump water on it, you’re pouring. The only hope I have for the language is that there are still places like this where people are talking about the decline of language.
So glad I’m not the only one who cringes at these. My cringe-o-meter sounds its alarm during television advertisements using “less” instead of “fewer.” Less calories, aaaaaaaaahhh! And certainly the grammar vultures are circling when they hear professional news anchors saying, “snuck” instead of “sneaked” and my personal pet peeve is “pled” instead of “pleaded.” And now, a sigh of relief after reliving it all.
=D
PREACH IT, SISTAH!! This is seventh grade stuff. Seriously, didn’t we have this pretty much mastered by then? I find it ridiculous and unacceptable that adults whose (who’s) first language is English can’t use apostrophes (apostrophe’s) correctly, can’t discern that lose and loose are two different words and don’t grasp the differences between common homonyms. Listen, I know I’m not perfect and we all make typos (typo’s) and mistakes (mistake’s) from time to time, but for God’s sake people, PAY ATTENTION and have some pride. These are BASIC rules of your primary language.
It really saddens me and although I know language evolves (we’re not exactly speaking The King’s English in 2011 are we?) there must be a basic standard preserved.
As a blogger, I write in a conversational style, which we all know is not “formally” correct or appropriate for a business letter. I use colloquialisms, I shorten words (ringin’ in the new year) and write in a readable, relaxed tone. It fits the medium and while it’s not formal writing, I never misspell or use the wrong word. And because I know I’m NOT perfect, if I ever have a question, I look it up. Helloooo we have this teeny little tool called THE INTERNET.
Some people are of the mind, “What does it matter? You know what I meant to say.” I heartily disagree for two reasons:
1. You can be the best/smartest person in your industry, but if you write like an uneducated person, nobody will ever take you or your ideas seriously.
2. As a society, we can’t accept (except) blatant disregard for the basic rules, nuance and proper use of English, lest we become a nation of idiots who have no command of our own language.
Can you tell this is a hot button for me? LOL
)
Here’s another error I’ve seen often recently: predominate, instead of predominant. Another is the use of abbreviations in copy. Hahahaha…good one, Lory!!
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In the event nobody has already done so, and while I applaud the effort and intent of the post, I’m compelled to point out a couple of clarifications.
While not the most common use, “except” can be a verb (but not in this sentence). [Ex: "Excepting the crushed one, we have three of the four bananas remaining."] Also, “affect” can be a noun. [Ex: "Her flat affect reflects her depressed emotional state."]
Now, I’m sure I’ve left at least one error or omission for everyone to correct. Haha.