Have you ever read over a message you've sent or reviewed a paper you've submitted and realized you made some embarrassing and silly mistakes? Why do we only seem to notice when it's too late? These are some of those common errors you should look for (before you hit the send button)!
Here's a tip: As you read over any draft of your writing, stop on any word that has an apostrophe and do a mental check. Are you using the right word?
1. Their, There, and They're Confusion
Confusing they're, there, and their is one of those reputation-busting mistakes! Do you know the difference? Even if you do, it's so easy for fast fingers to hit the wrong keys. Look for this embarrassing mistake when you proofread your paper!2. Writing "Your" When You Mean "You're"
This mistake is just plain ugly to the eyes. At least it only happens in one direction: few people write "you're" when they mean "your," but lots of people goof the other way around. Check over your writing and make sure you haven't typed your when you mean you are.3. Using "It's" as a Possessive Adjective
The title sounds difficult but the goof is probably familiar: Using "it's" when you should use "its" before a noun. Here are a few examples:
WRONG: The picture fell out of it's frame.
RIGHT: The picture fell out of its frame.
WRONG: The turtle lost it's way.
RIGHT: The turtle lost its way.
The word "it's" is a contraction for "it is."
4. Tricky Cases of Subject-Verb Agreement
Sometimes subject-verb agreements are easy to get right, but there are tricky situations you should know about. Sometimes a word or a phrase can come between your subject and your verb. When this happens, things can get complicated:
The woman who won all the pie-eating contests is on the phone.
The men who tracked dirt on your carpet are back.
And what about using anybody or everyone as a subject? Do you know the rules?
