Homonyms and other writing pitfalls

Contributed by Roger Diez, Pres.
Get It Write, Inc.

One of my pet peeves is the incorrect use of words that sound alike but mean different things. Other common spelling and grammatical errors also grate on my nerves. Here are a few examples that you will find on websites every day:

Two, too, to: I think most people know the difference, but the typing fingers sometimes have a mind of their own. "Two", as in the number, is the least of the offenders, but "too" and "to" are often interchanged. "Too" indicates a more than necessary . . . "You put too much salt in the soup." "To" indicates a direction or destination . . . "We're going to Disneyland!"

There, their, they're: "There" indicates a location . . . "What's that over there?" "Their" is a plural possessive . . . "That's their problem." "They're" is a contraction of "they are". But it's amazing how frequently these three words are used interchangeable (and incorrectly).
Your, you're, yore: "Your" is the second person possessive . . . "Is that your cell phone ringing?" "You're" is a contraction of you are . . . "You're going to answer it, aren't you?" "Your" is too frequently used in place of "you're", even by people who should know better. Yore is a somewhat old-fashioned term indicating the past. It is only a suitable replacement for "your" or "you're" when writing in hillbilly dialect.

Phase, faze: "Phase" is a term for a particular point in development . . . "It's just a phase she's going through." "Faze" indicates confusion or panic in the face of difficulty . . . "The final exam didn't faze me a bit." It seems that a lot of writers have never heard of the latter, because they use former in its place all the time.
Its, it's: "Its" is the possessive of the neuter gender . . . "The microwave oven blew its fuse." "It's" is a contraction of it is . . . "It's really cold out today." No apostrophe is required for the possessive. Would you write "hi's" for "his"? Or "her's" for "hers"? OK, some people might (see below for apostrophe misuse).

Here's one you don't see too often, but I ran across it the other day in a mystery book I was reading, and it really jangled my nerves: Lam, lamb. "Lam" is a slang word for running away . . . "He's on the lam from the law." "Lamb", of course, is a baby sheep. When you say, "He's on the lamb" it conjures up a disturbing image.

Other things that drive me nuts are misplaced and unnecessary apostrophes and commas. Or should I say, "Other things, that drive me nut's, are misplaced, and unnecessary, apostrophe's and comma's." I'm sure some people have random comma and aphostrophe generators in their word processors. Commas separate things in a series, or indicate a natural break. Apostrophes indicate a possessive or a contraction.
In days of yore (not your or you're), most of these rules were drilled into students’ heads in elementary school. Back then it was called grammar school, and for good reason.

Roger Diez specializes in busines writing: web content, newspaper/magazine articles, press releases, sales collateral, radio/tv commercials. For assistance contact Roger at (775)721-6230.

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