DON’T LET SPELLING BEWITCH YOU

I have books in print with spelling errors (horrors!) and they were mine. I spelled drought as draught in one place in RECLAIM MY LIFE and mandoline as mandolin in one of my cookbooks. My editors didn’t catch it, either. How do we prevent spelling errors?

We already know spelling checkers in computers are handy but not dependable. As the cartoon says, Spellcheck is my worst enema. ☺ A dictionary and a good proof reader (AKA Alpha Reader, critique partner) are essential.

I once read (and still own) a book titled 1001 Commonly Misspelled Words by Robert Magnan and Mary Lou Santovec. It’s a strong reference and I recommend it. In addition to the common homophones like there/their/they’re, the book is filled with tricky spellings, arranged alphabetically. Here are a few words I often see misspelled:

• epitome
• eligibility
• broccoli
• cemetery
• rigueur
• niece
• grammar
• embarrass
• separate
• diarrhea
• accommodate
• recommend
• cursory
• imagine

Are there words that trip you up? If so, consult a dictionary (online or in print). Hone your spelling skills by playing word games (Scrabble®) and reading books like 1001 Commonly Misspelled Words.

And by all means, if you see a misspelling in one of my posts (we all do it!), tell me!

Happy writing.

 

 

 

 

Averse or Adverse?

Two words often confused are averse and adverse. Do you know the difference?

Averse means opposed.  He is averse to all gun control laws.

Adverse means detrimental or harmful.  Some believe liquor advertisements have an adverse effect on sobriety.

A trick to remembering the difference is the word containing a D is the word that means Detrimental.  Or when in doubt, look it up.

Happy writing!

Happy National Grammar Day!

Today is National Grammar Day. Why do we celebrate grammar? As a writer, I celebrate grammar as a discipline because correct syntax, spelling, and usage help me communicate clearly. In a world of acronyms and abbreviations, I need correct grammar to anchor me.

Why is it important to use its instead of it’s for the possessive pronoun form of it? Clarity, my friends. It’s reads it is, which confuses the educated reader if the writer’s intent is its. That’s one example, and there are many.

So while you text and instant message with your abbreviations and shorthand language, keep alive the art of correct grammar. Not everyone understands your lingo. Also, can you imagine reading a fine book like Water For Elephants written as a text message? Horrors!

Autocorrect or Auto-annoy?

Have you seen the funny cartoon that reads Autocorrect is my worst enema? It’s funny because it’s so true. I have to proof and correct many of my posts and e-mails because autocorrect alters my words. Some are hilarious, but some are serious.

If there is a way to turn off autocorrect, I do. My own typos are fewer than the automatic ones inflicted upon me. Like spell checking tools, autocorrect is limited and can err.

What are some enemy / enema type errors you’ve caught before hitting “send” or “post”?

Greetings of the Season

This time of year, people debate the apostrophe issue of Season’s Greetings. 

The misuse of apostrophes is a pet peeve. I hate to see it used to form plurals. What’s with that? Apostrophes are for contractions and the possessive form of nouns (not pronouns!). In rare circumstances it can be used to form a plural, but avoid those if you can. So why did I use an apostrophe for season’s greetings?

Here is the Grammar Cop’s position: Season (as in holiday season) is a noun. The speaker/writer is wishing you greetings of the season. In other words, greetings belonging to this time of the year. Grammar Cop will not cite you for misuse of an apostrophe for writing the possessive form of season in your greetings.

Or you may avoid the issue and wish people happy holidays. Just don’t use an apostrophe to form the plural of holildays!

 

Right As Rein ☺

I once read a book in which the heroine reigned in her emotions as she preceded further down the road (this one’s published, folks!).   If you didn’t at least cringe when you read this, please pay attention.  The heroine reined in her emotions as she proceeded farther down the road is the correct usage if you mean the heroine controlled her emotions as she continued down the road.

Reign = rule over  Rein=control

Precede=to go before  Proceed=continue

Further=progress   Farther=measure of distance

Examples of other common word problems:

Wrong: Less than half of the students passed the verbal part of the exam.

Right: Fewer than half of the students passed the oral part of the exam.

Verbal = involving words; could apply to both oral and written communication.

Wrong: A large amount of books were, hopefully, added to the library.

Right: A large number of books were, we hope, added to the library.

Hopefully, strictly speaking, means filled with hope.

Wrong: Their training, light-years ahead of the competition, will enable them to decimate the other team.

Right: Their training, years ahead of the competition, will enable them to annihilate the other team.

Technically, decimate means to destroy one tenth.

Light-years measures distance, not time.

Finally, the ever-confusing lay and lie:

Wrong: She laid down to take a nap.

Right: She lay down to take a nap.

Wrong: Lay down beside me.

Right: Lie down beside me.

A trick I use is to refer to the adage Let sleeping dogs lie. (It’s not let sleeping dogs lay!).

When in doubt, LOOK IT UP.  If words are a problem for you and you are a writer, you need to invest in a good dictionary and grammar / punctuation guide. Don’t expect built-in spell-checks and grammar checks to do all the work.

Farther or Further?

I occasionally overhear people say futher (there’s no such word) when they mean farther. Or perhaps they mean further. Both are adverbs.

When do you use further and when do you use farther? Remember farther (a form of the word far) concerns distance (where). Further pertains to depth or extent (how much).  Examples–

How much farther to the river?

Will a college degree further his career?