The Grammatical Trap by Felicity Owen, Zen Communications
Author: Felicity Owen - Zen Communications
Last Updated: 8/18/2009 6:26:23 PM
Summary
How often do we judge each other on our communication? And yet how often are we ourselves guilty of making the most basic grammatical mistakes?
Article
A misspelt word or an apostrophe in the wrong place can impact
on you and your business in the same way as a dripping tap and damp
patch in a house you're viewing...They make you wonder if all is as
it seems.
As a technically-trained copywriter I'm often asked for advice,
so have put together the 10 most common mistakes people make, to
help you avoid the grammatical trap.
1. Its or it's
You only use an apostrophe to show possession (that the object
belongs to the person you've stated) or if you're removing
something. So:
I would have liked to becomes I would've liked to
It is my birthday becomes it's my birthday
She will love it becomes she'll love it
But it has to work the other way too. If you put an apostrophe
in a word, look to see if it's short for anything. So:
He's having fun becomes he is having fun
I'd ask her but she's gone becomes I would ask her but she has
gone
The only other time you use apostrophes are when something
belongs to someone, so:
Simon's new haircut is gorgeous refers to the hair which,
obviously, belongs to Simon
Louis's team is doing well can also be written without the extra
s Louis' and refers to the team belonging to Louis
2. Loose or Lose?
The former means the opposite of tight and the latter the
opposite of win
I went on a diet and now my jeans are loose
I always lose my keys when I am in a rush
3. Corporate Entity
When you are talking about a huge company it actually becomes
singular rather than plural as you might expect. So:
the BBC is a popular company rather than the BBC are a popular
company
Virgin has a great brand rather than Virgin have a great
brand
4. They're, there, and their
Why there are three words which all sound exactly the same, we
don't know, but they do have very different uses. They're is a
contraction of they are, whilst their means literally belonging to
them, and there relates to a position and is the opposite of here.
So:
They're having a great time
Their new book is on the bestseller list
There are the keys you lost earlier
5. Your and You're
Just like in our first point, the apostrophe means that
something has been removed, in this case you're means you are
whilst your refers to something belonging to you. So:
You're having a great time
Your book
6. Effect versus Affect
Affect is a verb and means to influence whilst effect is a noun
and is the result. So:
The power cut could affect us
The power cut's effect could be dramatic
7. Plurals
When there's more than one of something you add an s, but you
don't need to add an apostrophe so:
Cats, dogs and cows means more than one cat, dog and cow
Cat's, dog's and cow's means it belongs to the cat, dog and
cow.
8. Whose and Who's
Again, remember that an apostrophe is used when you remove
something so in this case who's means who is, whereas whose refers
instead to whom something belongs. So:
Whose go is it anyway?
Who's going to tell her you broke it
If in doubt read it back to yourself without the
apostrophe...
9. Brought and Bought
Brought is the past tense of bring and bought is the past tense
of to buy so:
I brought a present to the party
I bought the shopping at the supermarket
10. To and Too
Too is an adjective and means in addition whereas to is a
preposition and often indicates direction. So:
I would go to the moon and back
I would too!
The Author
Felicity Owen is Director of Zen
Communications, a specialist PR and copywriting
consultancy based in the Midlands. A Member of the Chartered
Institute of Public Relations, Felicity has over 10 years industry
experience working for a range of companies from boutique brands to
FTSE 100.
For further information or to discuss your own PR or copywriting
needs please call 01691 610689, email felicity@zen-communications.co.uk
or visit www.zen-communications.co.uk