5 More Grammar Mistakes That Make You Look Bad

There’s nothing worse than spending hours working on a client proposal or presentation, only to see a glaring typo in the document after it’s gone out. Unfortunately, just one grammatical error can result in lost credibility in the eyes of a client.

If you missed my last blog post, 5 Grammar Mistakes That You Can’t Afford to Make I highly recommend reading that first. It covers common grammar pitfalls that most people fall victim to – like its or it’s, affect vs. effect, toward vs. towards, than vs. then and who vs. whom. Today I’m going to cover five more.

That vs. Which

This is a tough one that can hang up even the most seasoned writer. Basically the short answer is “that” introduces vital information (known as a restrictive clause) and “which” introduces non-vital, or extra, information (known as a nonrestrictive clause). Here’s an example: The car that I bought last summer, which previously belonged to my uncle, is in the shop.

Your vs. You’re

This is another common grammar pitfall that can be easily avoided. Here’s the deal: “your” is the possessive form of “you” and refers to something that a person has. For example: Is your book on the table? “You’re” is the contraction of the words “you” and “are.” For example: You’re a good basketball player. So, if you’re confused whether to use “your” or “you’re” just ask yourself if you can replace the word with “you are.” If so, you should go with “you’re.”

i.e. vs. e.g.

For some reason this one is used incorrectly all the time. It’s actually pretty easy to remember. The abbreviation i.e. means “that is” (remember “i” for “is”) and the abbreviation e.g. means “for example” (remember “e” for “example”). Most people assume that i.e. means for example so just keep this trick in mind and you’ll get it right every time.

Complimentary vs. Complementary

This one is so easy to forget. Fortunately, I have an easy trick to help you remember it. All you need to do is remember the spelling of “compliment” which is when you say something nice about someone, or vice versa. “Complimentary” means “free of charge” so when you get something free, or someone says something nice to you, it’s “complimentary.” On the other hand, “complementary” means to “complete.” Here’s an example: He enjoyed his complimentary breakfast so much that he came back for dinner – and was impressed with how complementary the wine was with his steak.

Among vs. Between

This is another one that people get hung-up on when they really shouldn’t. Here’s the deal: “among” should be used when there are more than two things involved. “Between” should be used when there are just two things involved. So, here’s an example: My house, which is located between the brown and blue homes, is among a neighborhood of bungalows.

So, that’s it. If you remember the tricks to these five common errors then you’ll get it right every time!

Next Post »

Posted by Tracy Carr Copywriter
Friday, July 30, 2010 AT 9:30 am

View Comments | | subscribe