I already talked about grammar mistakes that even smart people make while writing or speaking in my previous blog. But this time, I am going to talk about some more grammatical errors made by many freelancers and agencies providing content writing services.
Without further ado, let’s look at the next set of mistakes.
1. Me or I?
The most common blunder people make is confusing me with I and using them at wrong places.
Correct: Jenny and I joined the chess club.
Incorrect: Jenny and me joined the chess club.
Correct: Jill took Justin and me to the shop.
Incorrect: Jill took Justin and I to the shop.
No, these words can’t be used interchangeably! Here’s how you need to get yourself right with these pronouns:
- Use the pronoun ‘I’ along with other subjective pronouns such as we, he, she, you, and they, when the pronoun is the subject.
Example: Aman and I went for a movie.
- Use the pronoun ‘me’ along with other objective pronouns such as us, him, her, you, and them, when the pronoun is the object.
Example: The dog followed me.
HINT: If you’re having trouble deciding which one to use in a particular sentence with two subjects or objects linked with ‘and,’ take out the other subject or object. (Example: Me joined the chess club or Jill took I to the shop)
2. Saddening Semicolons
According to the training we receive in Spacebar, the firm that believes in quality content writing services, there are three types of people who use semicolons in their writing:
#1: Those who hardly know the meaning of this punctuation mark and highly refrain from using it.
#2: Those who slightly understand what it means, but believe in using it religiously.
#3: Those who know exactly what a semicolon is meant for and use it just the way it is intended to be.
Sadly, the number of people belonging to type #2 is very high.
Don’t fret if you, too, fall under type #2. Just understand that semicolons are used to connect two independent clauses that could stand on their own but have a connecting thread. It gives the reader less pause between two thoughts than a period and more pause than a comma.
Example:
Correct: I ate spaghetti for dinner last night; I will have tacos tonight.
Incorrect: I had spaghetti for dinner last night; tacos tonight.
Incorrect: I had spaghetti for dinner tonight; see you at work tomorrow.
Ohh, my bad!
Image source: https://media.giphy.com/media/26hirThH4g9KmZ5gk/source.gif
3. Dash Dilemma
Another dashing mistake that most people make is confusing en dash and em dash. “-” is the shorter en dash, and “—” or “–” are both longer and versions of the em dash.
Just remember,
- The en dash connects things that are related to each other by a distance. Example: I’ll be unavailable from May-September.
- It is also used when you wish to represent a number range or differentiation. Example: That will take 10-20 minutes.
- The em dash can be used to set off quotation sources. Example: ‘To be, or not to be, that is the question.’ — Shakespeare.
- The em dashes are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex or in one that has a number of commas within it.
- It may also be used to write interrupted speech or conversation. Example: “I wasn’t trying to imply——” “Then just what were you trying to do?”
4. Who or Whom?
Follow (and memorise maybe) the simple thumb rule, “who” refers to the subject of a sentence; “whom” refers to the object. Whom is usually used to describe someone who’s receiving something.
Example:
Who do you think stole my cap?
Whom did we hire to join the podcast team?
5. Less or Fewer Errors?
Well, this one’s simple! Use fewer with countable nouns; use less with uncountable nouns.
Example:
Cookie Monster was told to eat fewer cookies.
Cookie Monster was told to drink less milk.
Less is also used with numbers when they are on their own and with expressions of measurement or time.
Example:
Their marriage lasted less than two years.
How lucky of me to know this!
Image source: https://media.giphy.com/media/l0MYPMcmggsy7i51e/source.gif
6. Non-parallel Not Only… But Also
By parallelism, I mean that the words following both parts of this correlative conjunction (i.e., not only and but also) should belong to the same parts of speech. So if a verb follows ‘not only,’ another verb SHOULD follow ‘but also’ as well.
Example:
Correct: She’s not only beautiful but also very smart. (beautiful and smart both are adjectives)
Incorrect: She’s not only beautiful but also a singer. (beautiful is an adjective, and a singer is a noun)
Correct: She’s not only a model but also a singer.
NOTE: You shouldn’t use a comma with not only…but also, unless you want to show emphasis on the second part of the sentence.
Example:
When writing, Diana considers not only her topic, but also her audience.
7. Dangling Modifiers, Duh!
Writers providing various content writing services come across this issue when they run their articles through various grammar checking tools. The name itself sounds like a dramatic situation! This mistake happens when a descriptive phrase doesn’t apply to the noun that immediately follows it.
So, either name the appropriate or logical doer of the action as the subject of the main clause or change the phrase that dangles into a complete introductory clause. Or simply leave your readers confused!
Example:
Correct: After reading the original study, I find the article unconvincing.
Incorrect: After reading the original study, the article remains unconvincing.
Correct: Because Suzie did not know his name, it was difficult to introduce him.
Incorrect: Without knowing his name, it was difficult to introduce him.
Promise!
Image source: https://media.giphy.com/media/l41YqKTI3pFKuI9CE/giphy.gif
I repeat, if I were you, I’d either work on my pathetic grammar and become a better writer or make the most of content writing services for an error-free piece of content. I think the second option is easier (and more sensible).
