Some Common Errors of Grammar and Spelling

Brought to you by Professor Darst

 

1)                  That pesky apostrophe

a)                  Apostrophes are used in only two situations:

i)                    To indicate contraction: it’s, there’s, you’re

(1)               it’s = it is

(2)               there’s = there is

(3)               you’re = you are

(4)               who’s = who is

ii)                   To form possessive adjectives from nouns

(1)               To form a possessive adjective from a singular noun, add “apostrophe-s”: John’s, the dog’s, Germany’s

(2)               Plural nouns ending in “s”: place an apostrophe after the final “s” but do not add a second “s”: the United States’ foreign policy.

(3)               Singular nouns ending with “s”: Current usage allows you to add either “apostrophe-s” or an apostrophe only. “Charles’s kingdom” and “Charles’ kingdom” are both acceptable. The second “s” is pronounced even if not written.

b)                 there vs. their vs. they’re

i)                    There has two common usages:

(1)               To mean “at that point in space or time”: Please stop there.

(2)               To indicate the existence, nonexistence, or quantity of someone or something: There is no hope. There is a Santa Claus. There are fifty states in the Union.

(3)               There’s is short for “there is.”

ii)                   Their means “belonging to them.” That is their car.

(1)               That car is theirs (note the final “s” in this usage).

(2)               “Their’s” does not exist.

iii)                 They’re is short for “they are.”

c)                  When NOT to use an apostrophe:

i)                    With one exception, possessive pronouns do NOT contain an apostrophe: its, ours, theirs, yours.

(1)               EXCEPTION: one’s, in the sense of “belonging to one.”

(2)               “Our’s” and “your’s” do not exist.

ii)                   NEVER use an apostrophe to indicate the plural of anything.

(1)               Two or more people from Baghdad are Iraqis, not “Iraqi’s”; two or more military groups are armies, not “army’s.”

(2)               This includes abbreviations: PCs, not “PC’s”; IOs not “IO’s”

(3)               And dates: 1990s, not “1990’s”

iii)                 There is only one important exception: the plural form of individual letters. There are two i’s in the word “missile.”

2)                  Is a country or organization an “it” or a “they”?

a)                  In contemporary American English, countries and international organizations are neuter singular: Germany is pursuing its interests.

b)                 This is also true for countries and IOs with plural names:

i)                    The United States is implementing its new policy towards Iraq.

ii)                   The United Nations is well known for its ineffectiveness.

iii)                 Trinidad and Tobago is a country in the Caribbean. (But: The islands of Trinidad and Tobago are located in the Caribbean.)

c)                  Also singular: “The United States government (or “the French government,” etc.) is pursuing its new policy.

d)                 HOWEVER, you must use PLURAL pronouns and verbs if the subject of your sentence is the plural form of the nationality of the state in question: The Japanese (Germans, Americans, etc.) are pursuing their interests.

3)                  Commonly misspelled words

a)                  aid vs. aide

i)                    Aid: to help or to assist (verb); assistance or help (noun).

ii)                   Aide: a person who helps or assists (assistant, helper).

b)                 bloc vs. block

i)                    A group of states or politicians is a bloc (no “k”): Soviet bloc, voting bloc.

ii)                   Building block, city block have a “k” on the end.

c)                  border vs. boarder

i)                    The line on the map dividing two countries is a border (no “a”).

ii)                   A boarder is someone who rents a room in someone else’s house.

d)                 conscious vs. conscience

i)                    Conscious is an adverb meaning “aware” or “deliberate.”

ii)                   Conscience is that little nagging voice in your head that tries to distinguish between right and wrong.

e)                  economic vs. economical

i)                    Economic refers to the economy: economic policy, economic system.

ii)                   Economical means “thrifty.” What is the most economical way to travel from Eugene to Timbuktu?

f)                   lead vs. led

i)                    The past tense of the verb “to lead” is led (with no “a”).

ii)                   “Lead,” when pronounced like “led,” refers only to the metal used in life jackets.

g)                  lose vs. loose vs. loss

i)                    “To lose” (pronounced “looz”) is the opposite of “to win.” You are losing, you will lose, you lost, you have lost.

ii)                   Loose (pronounced “looss”) is the opposite of “tight.” The verb form is to loosen (a bolt, a light bulb, etc.).

iii)                 Loss is the noun form of the verb “to lose.” So far this season, the Ducks have chalked up 10 wins and 15 losses.

h)                  populous vs. populace

i)                    Populous is an adjective meaning “densely populated.”

ii)                   Populace is a collective noun meaning “inhabitants.”

i)                    principle vs. principal

i)                    Principle (noun): a rule for action or a tenet of a body of thought.

ii)                   Principal: first or most important (adjective); chief, director, or other person playing an important or leading part (noun).

j)                   province vs. providence

i)                    A province is a part of a country: the province of Herzegovina.

ii)                   Providence means “fate.” We go whither providence wills us….

k)                 whether vs. weather

i)                    Whether means “if.” I don’t know whether I can take this any longer.

ii)                   Weather is what happens outdoors: rain, sun, fog, etc.

4)                  Words properly spelled without spaces or hyphens:

a)                  multipolar and bipolar, not “multi polar” or “multi-polar”

b)                 superpower,  not “super power” or “super-power”

c)                  interwar and postwar, not “inter-war” or “post-war” (but note that a hyphen IS used if “war” is replaced by the name of a specific conflict: e.g., post-Cold War).

5)                  Words that do not exist:

a)                  “liberalist”: a person who believes in liberalism is a liberal; this is also the adjectival form.

b)                 “nucular missle”: the correct spelling is nuclear missile (there are two i’s in “missile”—see 1.c.iii above). Nuclear is pronounced “NOO-klee-ur”: it is the adjectival form of the noun “nucleus” (plural “nuclei”).

6)                  Capitalization

a)                  What should be capitalized?

i)                    Names of countries or nationalities and adjectives formed from them: Albania, Albanian, Albanians.

ii)                   Names of international organizations: the European Union.

iii)                 Names of specific wars: World War II, the American Civil War.

b)                 What words should not be capitalized?

i)                    state

ii)                   nation

iii)                 international community

7)                  Avoid slang, even common slang that we all use when speaking.

a)                  Examples of things to avoid:

i)                    “have issues with”

ii)                   “a lot”

iii)                 “just” to mean very: just sickening, just awful

iv)                 “incredible,” unless you mean literally unbelievable.

v)                  “totally not successful”

vi)                 “OK”

b)                 Slang can be powerful writing device when used consciously and sparingly, but you have to know how to write without slang first.

8)                  Always run your spellchecker AND proofread your work.