Common Grammar Mistakes to Avoid
Tips on Writing Better and Improving Grammatical Skills
Oct 15, 2009
Proper grammar is not something everyone enjoys learning. But a little learning goes a long way with improving writing skills for professional, academic and fiction writing. Better grammar skills come with some practise and a few good writing tips.
Commonly Misused Words
There are words that are misused by a great number of people who do not always realize their mistake. Understanding the meanings of these words and either writing them down for a reference or committing them to memory is a good step toward better grammar skills. Consider this list as a starter for correcting commonly misused words.
They’re, Their and There
- “They’re” is a contraction of the words “they are” and the meaning is simple but many use it out of context. Example: “They’re going to be late.”
- “Their” is possessive, indicating two or more people possessing one object. Example: “Their house was new.”
- “There” indicates a place or a direction, as in “over there,” or “there, at the mall.”
Who, Whom, Whose and Who’s
- These words, although fairly similar, do have different meanings and functions in the sentence. “Who” is the subject of the sentence, the person actually doing the action. “Whom” is the object of the sentence, the person who has the action done to them. Example: “George told Sally to meet him there.” In this sentence, George is the subject and Sally is the object. This sentence could also read “Who told whom to meet him there?”
- “Whose” is possessive, as in “Whose cat is this?” This is commonly confused with “who’s,” likely due to the apostrophe. However, “Who’s” is not possessive, but is a contraction of the words “who is” and is a singular form of “they are.” Example: “Who’s there?”
Compliment and Complement
- A “compliment” is a comment of praise. “You look nice tonight” is a compliment on someone’s appearance.
- The word “complement” does not mean the same thing as “compliment.” To complement is to complete, in a sense. Objects can complement one another, like pencils and erasers, forks and knives, and photos and frames. People can also complement one another with personalities. Colours complement one another when they match.
Then and Than
- “Then” is an indication of time or cause and effect. Example: “They went to the store, then to the park.”
- “Than” is an indication that something is more, less, better or worse than something else. Example: “George had more time than Sally had.” This sentence can also read, “George had less time than Sally had.”
Your and You’re
- “Your” is possessive, as in “This is your life.” It is oftentimes confused with“you’re” and that may also be due to the apostrophe.
- “You’re” is a contraction of the words “you are,” and is also a singular form of “they are,” as in “You’re going to be late.”
Affect and Effect
- "Affect" is a verb. To affect someone else is to influence or draw a reaction out of him or her.
- "Effect" is a noun that complements the verb "affect." It is the result of the influence on someone else; the reaction that is drawn out is the effect.
This short list of commonly misused words is a great beginning for improving grammar and building upon good writing skills. For more on the importance of good grammar, one may refer to: Understanding Basic Grammar: Ideas for Improving Writing Skills.
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