Do You Make These Common English Mistakes?
We have a very serious problem these days. The problem is that most people just flat-out suck at communicating, especially when it comes to writing. It doesn’t matter who they’re communicating with — a coworker, a boss, clients or prospects, their kids, or even spouses and significant others. When it comes to communication, most people’s spelling, grammar, and ability to write a simple sentence often leave a lot to be desired. And you know what bad communication leads to? Problems — misunderstandings, lost sales, hurt feelings, lowered status, misperceptions, and much more. Although many problems come from a lack of communication (which will have to be the subject of another article), today we’re going to focus on a few common errors that are used in writing. Here’s a quick and fun challenge for you: Go on your favorite social media site, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., and just read what people post and comment on there. Is it easy to read and understand? Do things make sense? Are you able to “pick up what they put down”? And how is their spelling? spell correctly or communicate in a way that people can understand, you’re going to have a hard time being understood. Your status will be lowered, and people are going to perceive you as unintelligent, especially if you frequently spell things incorrectly. If you can’t get your thoughts and ideas across clearly and concisely, you’re going to confuse the crap out of people. And do you know what a confused mind says? “NO!” As in, “No, I’m not going to accept your offer or buy your product because I’m confused!” But fear not — I’m here to help! Now I’d like to share with you ... My Personal List of Common Mistakes That Most People Make When They Write 1. Loose vs. Lose A knot can be too loose . You can lose something, like a game, your sanity, or your virginity. Listen, it doesn’t matter how smart you are. If you don’t
Example: “I don’t want to lose the opportunity to impress her because my tie is too loose .”
2. Dinner vs. Diner Dinner is what you eat. A diner is where you eat it. Example: “Let’s go grab dinner at Silver Diner .”
3. Their vs. There vs. They’re (My favorite!) There is a place or direction. Their indicates possession of something. They’re is a contraction of the words “They are.” Please don’t mix these up! Example: “ They’re crazy if they think their house is over there .” 4. Alot vs. A Lot or Allot A lot means many. Allot means “to divide or distribute by share or portion.” Alot isn’t even a word. Example: “ A lot of smart people know that they’ll stay healthy if they allot part of their day to exercise.” 5. It’s vs. Its It’s is either a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” Its is the possessive form of “it.” Example: “ It’s about time that house had its own driveway.” 6. Use of the Apostrophe (’) Let’s get this straight. An apostrophe (’) is used when you are joining words together and omitting letters (a contraction) or are indicating possession of something. An example of a contraction is when you take the words “they are” and put them together to make “they’re.” An example of an apostrophe used to indicate possession is “The video’s features are compelling.” One of the most common errors that people make when using the apostrophe is when they try to use it to pluralize something, like this: “Those are great video’s .” The correct way to write that would be without the apostrophe: “Those are great videos. ” 7. Let’s vs. Lets Let’s is a contraction (there’s that word again!) of “let” and “us.” Lets means “to allow or permit.” Example: “ Let’s see how much Dad lets us get away with!” 8. Special Tip to Reduce or Eliminate Confusion A lot (See? Two words!) of confusion happens when people write too much. They go on and on without separating or stating their ideas properly, being clear with what they say, or even making a point. With that in mind, here’s a great tip for you:
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