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Common Word Misuse

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Spell check is a wonderful feature included with most word processing software packages. However, spell check does not know when a word has been used improperly. It is imperative that an article be read and reread before being submitted to an editor.

Some of the more common grammatical errors are as follows:

• Its vs. It’s - There are three versions of “it.” There is a thing called it, “it’s” means it is, and “its” is the possessive.
• I vs. Me - Whether to use “I” or “me” can become confusing to a writer. A good trick is to separate a sentence and see if it still makes sense. For example, “Tom and I will be at the meeting.” Separate this sentence into “Tom will be at the meeting,” and “I will be at the meeting.” Both sentences make sense. If a sentence were to say, “Me will be at the meeting,” that would not make sense.
• Affect vs. Effect – “Affect” is used when performing an action. “Effect” is the result of the action. A tip for remembering this rule is that action and affect both begin with the letter “A.”
• A vs. An – “A” is used before consonant sounds and “an” is used before vowel sounds. For example, “a dog,” and “an apple.”
• Is vs. Are – A plural subject requires a plural verb and a singular subject requires a singular verb. For example, “The bell is ringing” is correct because the subject and verb are both singular. “The bells are ringing,” is correct because the subject and verb are both plural.

Next Page: Common Punctuation Errors

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