Saturday, July 28, 2012

Grammar Peeves: Tips for Keeping it Clean

Like with many writers, language and grammar are important to me, but that doesn't make me an expert. I try to keep my writing free of errors, even when taking a casual tone or while using social media, but I've caught my own carelessness plenty of times. Here are a few commonly misused words, along with some general tips for remembering how to avoid future mistakes:

1. Affect and effect. 
Affect is a verb. Effect is a noun. 

If you can use "the" in front of the word you're trying to use, you probably mean to use the noun, "effect". If this is troublesome for you, think of "the sound effect", which is a noun.

2. Lay and lie. 
Lay is the action of putting something down. Lie is the action of reclining.

This is a tricky one! I keep in mind that chickens lay eggs, so I can't lay down unless I'm laying down an egg, or some other object. Translate that to all the conjugations, and you'll think twice about saying that something is laying on the floor. Unless it's laying eggs.

3. Passed and past.
Passed is a conjugation of the verb pass. Past relates to a period of time that has already happened, or sometimes a location beyond a defined point.

"Past" can be a noun, adjective, adverb, or preposition. Because "passed" is generally used as a verb, the simplest way to check your usage is to see if your sentence still makes sense using a different verb tense.

-She passed/past a finely dressed gentleman. (Switch test: She passes a finely dressed gentleman. Passed is correct!)
-She brushed passed/past a finely dressed gentleman. (Switch test: She brushed passes a finely dressed gentleman--huh? Passing doesn't work, so it must not be "passed".)

4. Should've and should of.
Should've is the contraction for "should have". Should of is just plain wrong.

Moving on...


5. Then and than.
Then is used in reference to time. Than is used to compare.

There are a lot of ways to use "then", but the word "than" is pretty much only used for comparison. One quick way to check if you're using the wrong word is to check if you're comparing anything; if you aren't, you know you should be using "then".

Flash Round: Mistakes I Make That Leave Me
Gnashing My Teeth Because I Do Know the Difference!

Its and it's

Your and you're

Too, to, and two

Their, they're, and there

What are your worst grammar peeves? Are there grammar mistakes that leave you gnashing your teeth at the offender--even if it's yourself?

~ ~ ~

Diana Paz is the author of TWISTS OF FATE (Rhemalda Publishing, April 2013). She writes books for teens about magic, adventure, and romance. Born in Costa Rica, Diana grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Los Angeles in high school, and went to college in San Diego. Basically, she’s a beach bum. Diana graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She loves thunderstorms, warm chocolate chip cookies, and reading a good book. Preferably at the same time. Find her at her blog:dianapazwrites.blogspot.com or on Twitter @dianapazwrites

6 comments:

  1. Poor grammar doesn't bother me too much, perhaps because it's so commonplace and I'm used to it. I'm also not an expert. My language related pet-peeves are words and phrases that are overused and try too hard to be hip.

    Jump the shark.
    But I digress.
    Bling. I hate the word bling.

    Lay vs. lie has always given me trouble.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree that grammar is important. (My mother
    used to teach English, so it's ground into my subconscious.) There's an epidemic now of people using "lay" for "lie." Thank you for addressing this. Maybe it will help. I hope you're having a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Charlie. I have to admit, poor grammar does get on my nerves, but mainly when I see myself being careless over things I already KNOW. Argh!

    Hi Dale, I *am* having a great day, thanks! And I agree about people using "lay" for "lie", but the one I see the MOST is the its/it's carelessness. When I see it in my own writing -especially on something public like Twitter- I always wince!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lay vs. lie is the one that often trips me up. Fortunately, I have printed this post out 1000 times and have stuck it to my office wall.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wow. You're a complete knockout, D.
    I feel like I've gotta *mouth-hanging-open*
    when I look at your utterly gorgeous pic.
    But, yet, I'm MO than sure you heard it BEFO.
    Here's something you maybe not, girl...

    But, seriously, folks, as I stand-up
    here on this Great Stage of our lifelong demise
    (only 66ish feet across and 1-outta-1 croaks),
    what's the MOST important objective in your
    finite existence, dear? I certainly know what mine is:

    Hope2God this provides some knowledge
    on your everlasting, spiritual journey;
    I may see you again Upstairs... maybe not...
    depending on how well WE mortals have fulfilled
    our voyage to the Great Beyond by 1) loving God
    and 2) loving our neighbor to the best of our ability.

    Why else does a moth fly FROM the night
    than to a bold, attractive candle Light??
    Don’t let His extravagant Brilliance be extinguished.
    You’re creative, yes?
    Then, fly-away with U.S. to the antidote…

    Whether you obtain morality4mortality to wiseabove
    or just glean tantalizing specimens for thy next best seller,
    you shall find in our blogs a lotta (subliminal) moxie
    which has taken this sinfull mortal yeeeeers to compile!
    I lay it ALL out for you, dear, with All-Star-Oxygems:

    Wouldn’t ya love an endless eternity
    of aplomBombs falling on thy indelible cranium?
    An XtraXcitinXpose with no zooillogical-expiration-date?
    An IQ much higher than K2 all-go-rhythm?
    An extraordinarily, anti-establishment-victory
    with both sardonic, satirical wit Who’s savvy
    and avant-guarde-humility??
    Here’s what the exquisite, prolific GODy sed
    (with a most-excellent-detector of bull§ht):

    “Faith, hope, and love,
    the greatest of these is love –
    jump into faith…
    and you’ll VitSee with love”
    Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe (what I write);
    God believes in you.

    Meet me Upstairs, girl, where the Son never goes down
    from a super-passionate, lucrative iconoclasm where you’ll find
    nonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsX…
    of deluxe-HTTP [<- pi] opportunities for excitement BTW.

    Do it. Do the deed, dude. Sign into the Big-Zaftig-House.

    PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when they hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
    -our Lord Jesus to Saint Gertrude

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow. You're a complete knockout, D.
    I feel like I've gotta *mouth-hanging-open*
    when I look at your utterly gorgeous pic.
    But, yet, I'm MO than sure you heard it BEFO.
    Here's something you maybe not, girl...

    But, seriously, folks, as I stand-up
    here on this Great Stage of our lifelong demise
    (only 66ish feet across and 1-outta-1 croaks),
    what's the MOST important objective in your
    finite existence, dear? I certainly know what mine is:

    Hope2God this provides some knowledge
    on your everlasting, spiritual journey;
    I may see you again Upstairs... maybe not...
    depending on how well WE mortals have fulfilled
    our voyage to the Great Beyond by 1) loving God
    and 2) loving our neighbor to the best of our ability.

    Why else does a moth fly FROM the night
    than to a bold, attractive candle Light??
    Don’t let His extravagant Brilliance be extinguished.
    You’re creative, yes?
    Then, fly-away with U.S. to the antidote…

    Whether you obtain morality4mortality to wiseabove
    or just glean tantalizing specimens for thy next best seller,
    you shall find in our blogs a lotta (subliminal) moxie
    which has taken this sinfull mortal yeeeeers to compile!
    I lay it ALL out for you, dear, with All-Star-Oxygems:

    Wouldn’t ya love an endless eternity
    of aplomBombs falling on thy indelible cranium?
    An XtraXcitinXpose with no zooillogical-expiration-date?
    An IQ much higher than K2 all-go-rhythm?
    An extraordinarily, anti-establishment-victory
    with both sardonic, satirical wit Who’s savvy
    and avant-guarde-humility??
    Here’s what the exquisite, prolific GODy sed
    (with a most-excellent-detector of bull§ht):

    “Faith, hope, and love,
    the greatest of these is love –
    jump into faith…
    and you’ll VitSee with love”
    Doesn’t matter if you don’t believe (what I write);
    God believes in you.

    Meet me Upstairs, girl, where the Son never goes down
    from a super-passionate, lucrative iconoclasm where you’ll find
    nonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsXnonillionsX…
    of deluxe-HTTP [<- pi] opportunities for excitement BTW.

    Do it. Do the deed, dude. Sign into the Big-Zaftig-House.

    PS “It is impossible that anyone should NOT receive all that they have believed and hoped to obtain; it gives Me great pleasure when they hope great things from Me and I will always give them more than they expect”
    -our Lord Jesus to Saint Gertrude

    ReplyDelete