The Pain-Free Guide to Perfect Spelling and Grammar YOUR REALLY QUITE NEAT AND INCREDIBLY DISCREET* SPELLING AND GRAMMAR CHEAT SHEET *(No, not “Discrete”)

ERICA MILLS

Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

THE VALUE OF COMMUNICATING WELL

“The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”

Tony Robbins, Motivational Speaker

Emails. Memos. Presentation Slides. Newsletters. Brochures. Marketing. Text messages. Pamphlets. Websites. Your business writes more than you might realise. What and how you write it matters. Unlike the humble conversation, written communications are lasting. Long after the exact wording of a spoken conversation has been forgotten, written material languishes – complete with any errors you may have made. Fear not! This “cheat sheet” is designed to show you the difference between the most common errors and to help you understand how not to make those mistakes. Difficulty with spelling is nothing to be ashamed of; doing nothing to stop your spelling and grammar mistakes from reaching the eyes of your business contacts, colleagues, employees and customers is. Print this booklet out or save it to your computer desktop. Keep it in your drawer or pin it to your notice board. Wherever you keep it, keep it close to keep your writing error-free.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

WHO CARES ABOUT SPELLING? If you think that so-called “Grammar Nazis” are nothing but nitpicking pedants, you are missing the point. Am I a pedant? Maybe. Are some of your competitors, peers and customers? Yes, without a shadow of a doubt. Whether or not you like it, people are judging you based on how you deliver your message. Whether or not correct English matters to you, it matters to the people who read your words. If you think that “good enough” is ever good enough in business, this is not the book for you. However, if you are the sort of person who knows that “good enough” is never good enough, read on. This book may be the answer to your most common writing mistakes.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

COMMON CONFUSIONS

They’re, there or their? Were, where or we’re? To, too or two? Your or you’re? These, and certain other common words, are the source of hours of confusion for many people. A little practice is all it takes to master these troublesome words.

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

There

That place

“There’s our taxi.”

The phrase “here, there and

They’re

Also used to introduce a

“Where is it? Here or there?”

everywhere”. If it relates to a

situation – “There is a vacancy

“There is no need to ask me silly

location (where) or a situation

in our sales department”

questions!”

(what), add a “t” to “here”

They are

“They’re coming to the meeting.”

The apostrophe in “they’re” replaces the “a” in “are”. “They’re” is just “they are” with an apostrophe in the middle.

Their

Belonging to them

“Their meeting ran over.”

If a noun (an object, place or person) follows, “their” is usually (not always) the correct word choice, e.g. “their boss”, “their pens”, “their home”.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

You’re

You are

“I hear you’re going to the

As with “they’re”, the

conference?”

apostrophe in “you’re” replaces

“Only if you’re travelling down,

the “a” of “you are”.

too.”

Your

Belonging to you

“Have you finished your

“Your” relates to possessions in

proposal?”

the same way as “their” does. If

“Your house is beautiful.”

you could ask, “is it yours or theirs?”, “your” applies.

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Where

“What place?”

“Where’s your office?”

Add a “w” to the word “here”. If

In that place

“Where are we going?”

you could put the word “here” into the sentence (“Here’s your office”; “We are going here”), “where” is correct.

We’re

We are

“We’re going to the trade show in

The apostrophe in “we’re”

London.”

replaces the “a” in “are”.

“We’re the best agency in the

“We’re” is just “we are” with an

city.”

apostrophe in the middle where the “a” should be.

Were

Past tense of “to be”

“We were sure of our marketing

“Were” is the past tense of

campaign.”

“are”. Remember this sentence:

“You were right to recommend

There were no “h”s or

that product.”

apostrophes to be seen.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

To

Indicates a direction, position

“I gave that sample to Joe.”

“To err is human; to edit is

or arrival point of something

“I am going to the library.”

sensible!”

2

“We are in business for two

The number two is spelled with

Two

years.”

a “double-u” (w), literally meaning “two ‘u’s”.

Too

Also; as well

“Jane attended the board

“Too many cooks spoil the

Very

meeting, too.”

broth.”

“The report was too long and too

There are the same number of

boring to read.”

“o”s in “too” as in “cooks”.

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Who’s

Who is

“Who’s coming to the party?”

The apostrophe replaces the “i”

“He is someone who’s dedicated.”

of “is”.

Whose

Belonging to who or which

“Whose shoes are those?”

Think “whose hose is that?” to

“She is someone whose star is on

remember the correct spelling

the rise.”

of “whose”.

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Quite

Rather; moderately; somewhat

“I’m not quite done with my

“Quite” is one syllable. It may

report.”

help to think of it as “quit” with

“She was quite excited about her

an “e”, e.g. “I quit using ‘quite’

new office.”

incorrectly.”

Silent; at a reduced sound level;

“The phones are never quiet on a

Sound out the word. The “-et”

hushed

Monday.”

adds the second syllable to

Very; extremely

Quiet

“quiet”.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Loose

Unfastened; saggy; baggy; free

“Loose lips sink ships.”

“The goose and the moose

“A killer was on the loose in the

managed to break loose.”

detective story.”

“Loose” is spelled similarly to and rhymes with “goose” and “moose.”

Lose

Misplace; fail; evade; escape

“Where did Tom lose his keys?”

Lose an “o” to be sure it’s not

“I hope my team doesn’t lose the

“loose”.

match this weekend.”

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Affect

Have an impact on; disturb;

“The new austerity measures

In the majority of cases, “affect”

change

affect the whole country.”

is a verb (a “doing” word). Use “affect” for all instances where

Effect

Result; outcome; consequence (Noun) Create (Verb)

“She was really affected by the

you wish to use a verb, unless

death of her dog.”

you mean “to create”.

“The effect of the fire was

In the majority of cases, “effect”

devastating.”

is not a verb. Hence, if you wish

“He used the skills he had learned

to indicate an action, you mean

to great effect.”

“affect”. The exception to this is

“The council effected a great

when you mean “create” as in

change in policy.”

the third example.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Then

At that time

“I’ll see you then.”

If you’re asking “when”, it’s

In that case; therefore

“If there’s plenty to go around

generally “then”.

After that

then there’s no need to fight about it.”

Than

Used in comparisons and to

“He is bigger than she is.”

The only time “than” applies to

contrast

“The charges were more than I

time is when you can say “no

could afford.”

sooner than” or “no later than” etc.

Word

Meaning

Example

Complement

To supplement; add to

“The curtains complement the

To match; complete

duvet set.”

To flatter

“She complimented her friend.”

Remember the “I” in

Flattering comment

“My shoes get a lot of

“compliment” by thinking, “I

compliments.”

like to be flattered.”

Compliment

Remember

Add (or supplement) an extra “e” to make “complement”.

*A note on complimentary and complementary: Many people think that because something given by an establishment is an extra, it should be “complementary”. In actual fact, such an extra is given with the compliments of the establishment, so “complimentary” is correct.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Insure

To cover or underwrite

“My house is insured against fire.”

When you use “insure”, think of

“Legally, you must insure your

“insurance” companies. In their

car.”

day-to-day business, would they do what you are spelling as “insure”?

Ensure

To make certain; guarantee

“Paying a little extra ensured we

Remember that you are

got the best seats in the theatre.”

“enabling” an action when you ensure. By paying a little extra (as per the example), you enabled yourself to sit in the best seats in the theatre. Remember the “en-” of “enable” and “ensure” to ensure you choose the right spelling.

Assure

To promise; swear; affirm

“He was assured of a promotion

To soothe; comfort

because of his hard work.”

they are “self-assured.” If

“I had to assure my daughter that

someone is doubtful, you

there were no monsters under the

“reassure”. If you can use

bed.”

If someone is confident, you say

“reassure” in place of “assure”, you know you are probably correct in your usage.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

It’s

It is or it has

“It’s too far to walk.”

The apostrophe in “it’s” replaces

“It’s not a good idea to eat forty

the “i” of “it is” or the “ha” of “it

ice-creams.”

has”.

“It’s been too long since my last car service.”

Its

Belonging to it

“Its area is larger than estimated.”

You don’t say her’s, your’s or

“This report is too narrow in its

their’s – so why use “it’s” as

focus.”

possessive?

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Accept

To believe; to acknowledge; to

“I accept your apology.”

Practise pronouncing this

take on

“We accepted the new guy as one

correctly to remember its

of our own.”

spelling: Ack-sept is the phonetic spelling of the correct pronunciation.

Except

Apart from; aside from; but

“Our sales are up except for those

Practise pronouncing this

[for]

in one department.”

correctly to remember its

“I liked every bit of my dinner

spelling: Ek-sept is the phonetic

except for the broccoli.”

spelling of the correct pronunciation. The difference is subtle but valid.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Imply

To suggest; to entail; to mean

“My mother-in-law implied that I

The person who “implies” gives

had put on weight.”

meaning to the subject.

“I didn’t mean to imply that he was not being honest.”

Infer

To deduce; to gather a meaning;

“I can infer from your tone that

The person who “infers” takes a

to conclude

you’re not happy with me.”

meaning from the subject.

“Her reaction to the bad news could be inferred from her crying.”

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Discreet

Subtle; tactful; inconspicuous

“The waiter was discreet when he

“Discreet” is the more

Discrete

Separate; distinct

left the bill on the table.”

frequently used word and is the

“Try to be discreet when you are

one in regular usage. Outside of

discussing this issue – others

mathematics and some other

don’t know yet.”

areas, “discrete” is rarely used.

“Two discrete departments are

The second “e” in “discrete” is

handling the event.”

separate from the first.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

MISUSE MINEFIELD

Certain words have been hijacked in the past few years, and stretched and distorted out of their original meanings. For any grammar lovers in your readership, certain words, when misused, are torture on the eyes. Remember, if in doubt, don’t use a word. Using a simpler, correct word will not make you appear unintelligent; using a larger word incorrectly will. Aim for clear, concise communication over verbose, misused jargon and words.

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember

Peruse

To scrutinize at length; to read

“It took me two full days to peruse

“Peruse” is often used,

carefully

the report.”

incorrectly, to mean “a quick glance over.”

Ironic

The opposite of what was

“The fire station burned down

Nothing in Alanis Morisette’s

expected

while the fire brigade were out.”

song “Ironic” is actually ironic! Just because an outcome is

Revert

A person cheating on their spouse

unfortunate or unwanted,

because the spouse’s constant

doesn’t make it ironic.

accusations of infidelity pushed

Similarly, a sarcastic tone does

them towards another is ironic.

not always indicate irony.

Return to an earlier form,

“The land reverted to the family

People can only revert back to

behaviour or belief

after the death of the owner.”

an earlier state, behaviour or

“Despite all her best efforts, my

practice. Hence, you should

friend reverted to her smoking,

never say “revert to me on that

gambling ways.”

issue”. As the reader was never you in the first place, they can’t turn back into you!

Penultimate

Second to last

“Fifth year was my penultimate

If you say that you provide the

year in secondary school.”

penultimate service or product, you are saying that your service or product is second from last.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

NEVER, EVER USE THESE (EVER!)

There are a few serial offenders on the list of words that should never, ever be used. These words have entered modern speech and writing and incite the kind of hatred and ire usually reserved for taxes and self-service checkouts. Use any of these and you risk ruining your credibility without saying another word. You have been warned!

Word

Meaning

Example

Remember People who use this word think

Irregardless

None! This is a common misuse

“Irregardless of what you say, I’m

of the word “regardless.” This

going to use this word anyway.”

word is not a valid one and

(Wrong)

should never appear in your communications.

that they should add “ir-” to make the word a negative one. However, “regardless” is already a negative word,

“Many people who use incorrect

meaning “without regard”, so

words will carry on regardless,

adding the “ir-” creates a double

even when corrected.” (Right)

negative.

The confusion around these words comes from their Should

Used incorrectly instead of

“I would of gone if I had been

pronunciation. When said

of/would

should have/would have/could

invited.” (Wrong)

quickly “should have” “would

of/could of

have

have” etc. are abbreviated to “I could have bought you a ticket

“should’ve” or “would’ve”.

if you’d asked.” (Right)

Because of the similarity in sound, some people confuse the “have” for “of”.

Supposably

Meaning: Capable of being

“Supposably, Jim didn’t show up

supposed. Limited U.S. use only

today.” (Wrong)

(and even then it is

Whether “supposably” is a viable, valid word is debatable. While some U.S. writers argue

contentious). The intended

“Supposedly that’s because his

for its use and it appears in U.S.

word is “supposedly”.

wife was taken to hospital last

dictionaries, it is generally

night.” (Right)

never used outside the U.S.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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Spelling and Grammar Cheat Sheet – Erica Mills

“For all intensive purposes.”

“A mute point”

A misuse of the phrase “for all

“For all intents and purposes, the

This is probably based on a

intents and purposes.”

school is closed today.” (Right)

A misspelling of “a moot point”

“Your point about the target

meaning an irrelevant point.

market is moot – we don’t sell to

“speechless.” Remember that

that demographic.”

you cannot make any point by

mishearing.

“Mute” means “silent” or

remaining silent (mute).

Expresso

Should be “espresso.”

“The word ‘expresso’ said instead

This is a mispronunciation

of ‘espresso’ drives my ex-barista

which has sneaked (not snuck!)

boyfriend crazy!” (It really does.)

its way into common usage. Do your local coffee shop a favour and use the correct term.

“I have alot of work today.” Alot

People seem to think “alot” is

(Wrong)

the modern use of the two

A complete misspelling of the

“A lot of people fly into a rage

words “a lot” – it’s not! For a

two words “a lot.”

when they see the misspelling

particularly humorous take on

‘alot’!” (Right)

this, visit the fantastic site “Hyperbole and a Half”; you’ll be guaranteed never to misuse the word again!

And that’s it. By no means an exhaustive or complete list, this cheat sheet should be a nudge in the right direction. Correct spelling and grammar may not be your forte but now you have a few tools to help you get it right. Visit my blog at ericamills.wordpress.com with any questions you may have or alternatively, I know a great writer and editor who can be hired at a reasonable price! Contact me at [email protected] or at (01) 516 0203 or (085) 739 2135 for all your writing or editing projects.

Erica Mills -- Editor, Copywriter, PR Writer and Journalist Extraordinaire Tel: (01) 516 02 03 or (085) 739 2135 (Add +353 for international) Email: [email protected] Website: ericamills.wordpress.com

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