Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that I cannot spell. Aaand I’m not that great when it comes to grammar. However, the simplest of “rules” are most often broken. I can forgive those quick messages and those small slip-ups, it’s just the constant, over-and-over again mistakes that make me go bonkers.
- To and Too: I can’t tell you how often I see, “I’ll go with you to” or “I can’t stay to late”
- Their, There and They’re: This is my biggest pet peeve and it seems I run into more and more people who don’t know the difference. Let me make this simple:
- There: A locale/distance – “Over there”
- Their: Possession – “Their house”
- They’re: Contraction of “they” and “are” – if you can’t break it out in the sentence, you have the wrong one. “They’re nice people.”; “They are nice people”.
- Who and Whom: I’m not the best with this one either. Here’s my rule of thumb: If you can answer it with “him”, it’s “whom”, (and “he” is “who”). For example, “You’re going with whom?” I’m going with him. Whom.
- Affect and Effect: I was told once that “affect” is related to emotions, (“His actions affect me deeply”). Effect I remember “Cause and Effect” from science class. Recently, I saw an article that said it simply: “Affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun.
- Then and Than: Than compares. “I’d rather have an apple than a pie.”
- Past and Passed: “Passed” refers to movement. “The car passed by me.” “Past” refers to time. “It’s over and all in the past”. I found this that breaks it down (and honestly, makes my head spin) even more.
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Another unfinished post. After I began this one, I started questioning all the “rules” and how I was using them (at least #s 4-6, anyway) and got myself all confused. haha Not sure why I never finished this one, but it’s as good as done now. Originally written: July 21, 2o10.
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