3 Common Grammar Mistakes that Make you Look Stupid

2012-08-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Watch out for these common grammar mistakes.

A writer not knowing grammar is like an electrician not knowing electricity. A plumber not knowing pipes. A carpenter not knowing wood. Grammar is an essential writing skill, without which a writer will fail. So making grammar mistakes can stand in your way of being a successful author.

But ignoring the rules of grammar when necessary, as I did with the two sentence fragments above, is also a useful skill. So when is it okay to break grammar rules and when is it not?

I’ll make it easy for you.

Here are 3 common grammar mistakes that are always incorrect and always make you look stupid:

1. It’s vs. Its

Many writers fall in the “it’s vs. it” trap. But the rules are so simple.

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” Example: “It’s a long way to Albuquerque,” meaning “It is a long way to Albuquerque.”

“Its” is a possessive pronoun, and a lot of writers add an apostrophe to the “s” to indicate the possessive form. However, possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe. So to denote ownership, you would write, “Its storyline was simple.”

2. There Vs. Their

This is one of the common grammar mistakes that drive me crazy!

“There,” is a flexible word used many different ways. Example: “Are you still there?” (for a place), or “There is no use” (as a pronoun).

“Their” is a plural possessive pronoun. Example: “Their shoes,” or “their books.”

3. Your vs. You’re

I cringe when I see this grammar mistake, and I’ve been cringing a lot lately.

“Your” is a possessive pronoun. Examples: “Your feet,” or “Your state.”

“You’re” is a contraction of “you are.” Example: “You’re (for you are) risking failure by making these common grammar mistakes.”

Always Proofread

You can avoid making these 3 errors by proofreading your copy. Don’t rely on spell check, because these words are not misspellings – they’re grammar mistakes that make you look stupid!

First Kindle eBook Completed

2012-08-29T14:20:00.004-07:00

Today, I finished writing my first Kindle eBook. Once I get a cover created, I will download it to Kindle and finally achieve my life-long dream - being a published book author.

Online Writing Made Easy!

This book, the first in the Online Writing Made Easy series, is called 101+ Ways to Find Online Writing Jobs, and I wrote it for you. One of the biggest difficulities in a writing career is finding work. My book not only lists sites that hire writers, but it includes a huge amount of job boards where you can find clients.

When I publish it to Amazon Kindle, I will let you know and post a link to it. Be sure to check back often for updates, because I will offer free Kindle book downloads for the first 5 days of publication.

Why Kindle, Why Now?

Why did I wait so long to write a book?

To be honest, the prospect of writing 300 or more pages was daunting. I even did it once, and quickly pronounced my suspense novel to be crap. (What a wasted 6-months!)

Then I found out that many people are publishing books of just a few pages on Kindle. (Mine is around 30 pages.) Hey...I can handle that!

So I'm excited to finally be realizing my publishing dream. And I owe it all to Amazon Kindle. When my book is published, please take advantage of the free Kindle book download feature, read it, then post a review on Amazon. I can't wait to see what you think!