20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes. I’ve edited a monthly magazine for more than six years, and it’s a job that’s come with more frustration than reward. If there’s one thing I am grateful for — and it sure isn’t the pay — it’s that my work has allowed endless time to hone my craft to Louis Skolnick levels of grammar geekery. As someone who slings red ink for a living, let me tell you: grammar is an ultra-micro component in the larger picture; it lies somewhere in the final steps of the editing trail; and as such it’s an overrated quasi-irrelevancy in the creative process, perpetuated into importance primarily by bitter nerds who accumulate tweed jackets and crippling inferiority complexes.
But experience has also taught me that readers, for better or worse, will approach your work with a jaundiced eye and an itch to judge. While your grammar shouldn’t be a reflection of your creative powers or writing abilities, let’s face it — it usually is. Who and Whom This one opens a big can of worms. Which and That Lay and Lie Moot Nor. Usage ALUMNI. Hello Everyone! Have you ever been confused about which word is correct when you are referring to "graduates"? When should you use ALUMNA, ALUMNAE, ALUMNUS, and ALUMNI? The misuse of these words is fairly common, but if you'll pay attention, I'll try to show you how to use them correctly so you'll never be confused again.
Here are some examples of common mistakes with this problem: I am an ALUMNI of Whiteville High School...or...All of the ladies in our Sunday School class are ALUMNI of The University of North Carolina at Wilmington...or Butch is an ALUMNI of NC State University in Raleigh. Notice how the word ALUMNI is getting a good workout in the above sentences. So what's going on here and what should we remember? Okay...Here are some simple definitions to help you keep them straight: ALUMNA is singular and simply means one female graduate. ALUMNAE is plural and means two or more female graduates. ALUMNUS is singular and means one male graduate. ...and finally...
How about that? 1. 2. 3. Test Yourself: USAGE. Confused words INSTRUCTIONS. Confused words exercises. Commonly Confused Words. Commonly Confused Words (printable version here) Words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings often cause writers trouble. Here are a few of the most common pairs with correct definitions and examples: ACCEPT-to receive ex: He accepts defeat well. EXCEPT-to take or leave out ex: Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one.
AFFECT-to influence ex: Lack of sleep affects the quality of your work. A LOT (two words)-many. ALLUSION-an indirect reference ex:The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf's work. ALL READY-prepared ex: Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived. ALTOGETHER-entirely ex: Altogether, I thought that the student's presentation was well planned. APART-to be separated ex: The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. ASCENT- climb ex: The plane's ascent made my ears pop.
BREATH-noun, air inhaled or exhaled ex: You could see his breath in the cold air. CAPITAL-seat of government. NOVEL-noun, a book that is a work of fiction. Commonly confused words. Take a look at these two sentences – one of them contains a mistake: I poured over book after book. We pored over the catalogues. Are you uncertain which one is right? There are a lot of words in English that look or sound alike but have very different meanings, such as pore and pour or flaunt and flout. It’s easy to get them confused and most electronic spellcheckers won’t be much help in this type of situation: they can tell you if a word has been spelled wrongly but they can’t generally flag up the misuse of a correctly spelled word.
Here’s a quick-reference list of pairs of words that regularly cause people problems. Back to Usage. You may also be interested in: 'Loose' or 'lose'? 'Pour' or 'pore'? 'Bare' or 'bear'?