Those of us who write for a living are faced with grammatical challenges every day, and we all have our pet peeves about common mistakes that we see — usually in “other” people’s work. The scribe who goes by the pen name Johnny Truant has compiled a handful of these in 5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Sound Like A Chimp on Copyblogger.Com. You should read them all, but here are two of my favorites from Johnny:
First, the use of “an” before the word “historic.”
If you’re bristling at this one, ask yourself if you’d say, “an horse” or “an house.” What would people think if you went into the store and said, “I’ll have an half gallon of milk, please”?
You can and should use “an” if the H is silent and the word starts with a phonetic vowel, like “an hour.” Otherwise, go with “a” as the article.
And a violation that occurs regularly in print and in everyday speaking — the misuse of the word “literally.” He says:
I collect “literally” mentions. Britney Spears has been “literally on a roller coaster to hell.” Crowds have “literally turned the city upside down.” And in a particularly grisly turn of events, a mall Santa reported that needy, sad children “literally tear his heart out.”
Whenever you use “literally,” stop and think about whether or not what you’re saying is actually true, in those exact words. If it’s not, use “practically,” “essentially,” or (ideally) “metaphorically” instead.
OK, that’s a good start. Now what are some of your favorite grammar faux pas?
Tags: copywriting, grammar, writing