- it's / its
- affect / effect
- lie / lay
- past tense of swing (we swung? we swang? I usually end up saying we were swinging)
- several others I can't think of right now...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Grammatical Errors
There are some pairs of words my OCD will not allow me to use in a sentence, because I have no idea which word is correct. When you’re just talking, some are ok because they sound the same, but when you’re typing you have a record of having used the wrong word. So, would anyone like to help me out here? Any little memory jingles, or succinct grammar rules, or a general outline of which word to use when… really any help at all would be appreciated. I also have a huge fear of ending sentences incorrectly, so any rules about how not to end a sentence would be nice.
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2 comments:
So... I'm not TONS of help, but I can get you past the first 2 on your list. :) It's = It is; Its - it belongs to _____ Cause and Effect (and E-ffect is usually used in the predicate of the sentence) Affect tells how it will Affect something... usually used in the subject portion of the sentence... at least, that's if I'm remembering it correctly from that business writing class they had us take at work. I'll see if I can find the info and show it to you. :)
Okay, "it's" is a contraction. You only ever use it to mean it is.
an affect causes, an effect is the result (affect comes first alphabetically;)
You can lie down, but you lay something down. For this one, just remember that what you normally say is wrong ;) If it sounds wrong, it's probably right.
swing/swung
Just let me know the others and I'll set you straight. I am the grammar queen! Okay, now I'll get off my ego trip.
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