14 Grammar M i s takesThat May D i sc red i t You r Message

Tips presented by:

• Nauseous probably doesn’t mean what you think it means…

‘to possess the ability to produce nausea in others’

“For many women, the first trimester of pregnancy is nauseous.”

• Nauseated is most likely the word you want…

‘to become or feel disgusted or sick’

“I was nauseated during the first 4 months of my pregnancy.”

Nauseous vs. Nauseated

Irregardless isn’t a word. Don’t use it.

Irregardless vs. regardless

If you ever type out the words above, you’re wrong!

Could’ve, would’ve and should’ve are all legitimate verb contractions. But, when we speak, the “’ve” sounds like “of”.

Hence, people write things like:

“I should of gone to the meeting.”

This just makes you look silly. Instead try this:

“I should’ve gone to the meeting.”

Could Of, Would Of, Should Of

• A Compliment refers to a nice thing someone says. It can be a verb or a noun.

“My boss complimented my presentation skills.”

• A Complement is something that adds to something else or

goes well with it. It can also be a verb or a noun.

“The visual aid really complemented your speech.”

Compliment vs. Complement

• Affect is almost always a verb. Something affects something else.

“Your ability to run this meeting successfully affects your chances of getting a promotion.”

• Effect is most often a noun. An effect is the thing caused by the affecting agent.

“The effect of poor meeting management on a person’s ability to climb the corporate latter is well documented.”

Affect vs. Effect

• Fewer is used when you can count the thing you are referring to.

“I think we can have fewer meetings if we use our time effectively.”

• Less is used when you can’t count the thing you are referring

to.

“Ineffective meetings make us less productive.”

Fewer vs. Less

• Use i.e. when you want to say, “in other words” or “that is”.

• Use e.g. when you want to say, “for example”.

i.e. vs e.g.

• Peek – a quick look• Peak – a sharp point• Pique – to provoke or instigate

Does this pique your interest?

Peek vs. Peak vs. Pique.

• Awhile is an adverb. It means “for a length of time”.

“The meeting is awhile before lunch.”

• A while is a noun. It means “a length of time”.

“The meeting isn’t for a while.”

You can “talk awhile” or “talk about something for a while”.

Awhile vs. A while

Both are correct. Just don’t use them interchangeably. “Toward” is American,

“towards” is British. Choose one and stick to it.

Toward vs. Towards

• Principle is “a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong that influences your actions”.

“This goes against my principles.”

• Principal is the person who is first in rank, normally at a school.

“The principal hired new teachers.”

Principle vs. Principal

• This mistake is so common that some dictionaries formally accept “accidently” as a variant of the word “accidentally”.

“Accidentally” is always accepted as the correct spelling, while “accidently” can be technically

correct if you take the time to prove it to someone. It’s best to use “accidentally” in

formal writing.

Accidently vs. Accidentally

e.g. “make a 180” or “make a 360”• If you make a turn and end up facing the same

direction, you’ve made a 360-degree turn. You’ve ended up right where you started or come full circle.

• If you make a turn and end up facing the opposite direction, you’ve made a 180-degree turn. To do a 180 means to completely reverse your direction.

360-degrees vs. 180-degrees

This is on every ‘grammar mistake list’ that exists, yet we see this mistake everyday. This is

probably due to poor proofreading. Always remember to double check to ensure you’re

using the correct its (it’s). • It’s = it is

• Its = possessive version of it

Its vs. It’s