Common Writing Errors

Absolutely: Actually, more of a speaking error than a writing error--nevertheless, should not be used in place of “yes.”

All Right: Not "alright."

Buzzwords: A.K.A. clichés. Read widely enough to detect essentially meaningless words or phrases that have become overused among the semi-literate and the lazy and to avoid using them yourself. A “life lesson,” for instance, is really just a “lesson,” as there is no lesson that does not apply to someone’s life. “Dreams,” as C.S. Lewis once observed, include nightmares; dreams as shorthand for “aspirations” has long been trite. (See also “Meaningless Phrases and Terminology” and the IBM “buzzword bingo” television ad.)

Cannot: It has been acceptable for decades to write can not as one word.

Comma Splices: Seldom join two independent clauses with a comma.

Compound Adjectives: Connect the parts of a compound adjective with a hyphen (e.g., “My dog’s all-night barking kept our neighbors awake”).

Concluding Paragraphs: See “Introductory Paragraphs.”

Conjunctive Adverbs: However, therefore, etc. are not conjunctions. Sentences beginning with them should not be linked to the preceding sentence by a comma.

Decimate: Decimate means “to reduce by one tenth,” not “to destroy.”

Drug: From Merrian-Webster: "a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication"; not the past tense of "to drag."

Ellipses: Best used to indicate the removal of words from a direct quotation. To indicate an extended pause, use a dash (i.e., two hyphens: --).

Exclamation Points: Use sparingly (and alone).

Fractions: Hyphenated when used as modifiers (“The glass was at least two-thirds full”); not hyphenated when used as a noun (“One third of the class failed the exam.”)

Gerunds: Gerunds are nouns, so the noun or pronoun in front of them takes the possessive form (e.g., “The neighbors were kept awake by my dog’s barking all night,” not “by my dog barking all night.”)

His or Her, He or She: See Jacques Barzun's essay "Was Paul Revere a Minute Person?" (http://teacherinamerica2.blogspot.com/2009/08/essential-essay-no-1-was-paul-revere.html) and John Simon's "Should We Genderspeak?" (http://teacherinamerica2.blogspot.com/2009/09/john-simon-should-we-genderspeak.html)

Hopefully: Hopefully means “done with hope” (“Sheila waited hopefully for her husband to call”), not “I hope” (“Hopefully it won’t rain”).

Impact: Not a verb (i.e., not synonymous with "to affect") or an adjective ("impactful"!). As a participle, it means "imbedded" (as in "impacted tooth"). If impact must be used at all, it is best used as a noun (e.g., "The impact of the hijacked planes on the skyscraper started a disastrous chain reaction").

Introductory Clauses and Phrases: Set off by a comma; the exception: short prepositional phrases (even then, be consistent).

Introductory Paragraphs: See “Concluding Paragraphs.”

Just: Just can mean “only” (“There were just two ants nibbling the orange rind”), “simply” (“We just sat there, astounded that Martha would make such a statement”), or “demonstrating justice” (“The verdict reached a just decision”). It should not be used to mean “I need a syllable here to sound ditzy” (“Lord, we just want to thank you for this beautiful day….”)

Like: Like is either a verb (“The boys like my mother’s homemade ice cream”) or a preposition (“Walk like an Egyptian”), not a subordinating conjunction (“I felt like I was going to explode”).

Literally: An adverb that is misused with rapidly increasing frequency, as in this excerpt from the writer Frank Beacham: “ … Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall when Cohen literally brought the house down with a lifetime of familiar songs” (beachamjournal.com).

-ly: A.K.A. the “galloping -ly,” for its tendency to show up at the end of words that are already adverbs without it (e.g., “firstly,” “thusly”).

Meaningless Phrases and Terminology: Avoid; e.g., “in my life,” “needless to say,” “daily life” (we wouldn’t refer to our “monthly” or our “yearly” life), the “real world,” “personal(ly).” (See also “Buzzwords.”)

Nauseated vs. Nauseous: Nauseated means “sickened”; nauseous means “sickening.”

Now at the Beginning of an Independent Clause: Follow it with a comma when using it as an interjection (“Now, is that anyway to treat your aunt’s Irish setter?”); do not follow it with a comma when using it as an adverb (“Now we have to grease the pan”).

Numbers: Spell out any number that can be written in two words or less (e.g., “ninety-seven”); use numerals for numbers needing more than two words to write (e.g., “197”).

O.K.: Not "okay."

Prepositions: Avoid unnecessary compounds (e.g., a basketball is made of leather, not out of leather; one jumps off the Empire State Building, not off of the Empire State Building).

Pronoun Referents: Always make sure that your every it, these, and this has a clear antecedent.

Quotation Marks: Commas and periods go to the left of them except when the parenthetical citation of direct quotations are involved.

Real vs. Really: Real is an adjective (“Will the real Muhammed Ali please stand up?”); really is an adverb (“Darlene danced really well in the competition’s semi-final round,” not “real well”).

Reason: "The reason is" never "because" something--because because means "the reason is": We won because we played better." To put it another way, the reason we won is that we played better.

Slang: Avoid, unless appropriate to your tone and audience. Use quotation marks if inappropriate but essential.

So As a Modifier: So is a meaningless adverb unless subsequently modified (e.g., “I was so embarrassed that I immediately started sweating,” not “I was so embarrassed” period).

So at the Beginning of an Independent Clause: So is a conjunction; it is therefore not automatically followed by a comma.

Split Infinitives: Avoid. “Our mission is to go boldly where no man has gone before,” not “to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Tautologies: Avoid. Example: “One reason that Oedipus Rex has remained popular for over two thousand years is that people continue to be fascinated by its plot.” (Translation: “People like Oedipus Rex because they like it.”)

Thing(s): Avoid. More precise nouns exist and should be used by the non-lazy.

Transitive vs. Intransitive Verbs: One can “make a business grow,” but one cannot “grow a business” any more than one can “grow an economy.”

Verbal: Not synonymous with "oral." Verbal means "made of words." Thus, even written communication is verbal.

Verb Tenses: Use the past perfect to indicate the earlier of two past actions (e.g., “We had called the ambulance by the time the police arrived.")

Whenever: Not synonymous with "when."