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10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid

Jody Gilbert

Published: 06 Jun 2006 16:00 BST

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These days, we tend to communicate via the keyboard as much as we do verbally. Often, we're in a hurry, quickly dashing off emails with typos, grammatical shortcuts (I'm being kind here), and that breezy, e.e. cummings, no-caps look. It's expected. It's no big deal. But other times, we try to invest a little care, avoiding mistakes so that there's no confusion about what we're saying and so that we look professional and reasonably bright.

In general, we can slip up in a verbal conversation and get away with it. A colleague may be thinking, "Did she just say 'irregardless'?", but the words flow on, and our worst transgressions are carried away and with luck, forgotten.

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That's not the case with written communications. When we commit a grammatical crime in emails, discussion posts, reports, memos, and other professional documents, there's no going back. We've just officially gone on record as being careless or clueless. And here's the worst thing. It's not necessary to be an editor or a language whiz or a spelling bee triathlete to spot such mistakes. They have a way of doing a little wiggle dance on the screen and then reaching out to grab the reader by the throat.

So here we are in the era of Word's red-underline "wrong spelling, dumb ass" feature and Outlook's Always Check Spelling Before Sending option, and still the mistakes proliferate. Catching typos is easy (although not everyone does it). It's the other stuff — correctly spelled but incorrectly wielded — that sneaks through and makes us look stupid. Here's a quick review of some of the big ones.

#1: Loose for lose
No: I always loose the product key.

Yes: I always lose the product key.

#2: It's for its (or god forbid, its')
No: Download the HTA, along with it's readme file.

Yes: Download the HTA, along with its readme file.

No: The laptop is overheating and its making that funny noise again.

Yes: The laptop is overheating and it's making that funny noise again.

#3: They're for their for there
No: The managers are in they're weekly planning meeting.

Yes: The managers are in their weekly planning meeting.

No: The techs have to check there cell phones at the door, and their not happy about it.

Yes: The techs have to check their cell phones at the door, and they're not happy about it.

#4: i.e. for e.g.
No: Use an anti-spyware program (i.e., Ad-Aware).

Yes: Use an anti-spyware program (e.g., Ad-Aware).

Note: The term i.e. means "that is"; e.g. means "for example". And a comma follows both of them.

#5: Effect for affect
No: The outage shouldn't effect any users during work hours.

Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.

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Yes: The outage shouldn't have any effect on users.

Yes: We will effect several changes during the downtime.

Note: Impact is not a verb. Purists, at least, beg you to use affect instead:

No: The outage shouldn't impact any users during work hours.

Yes: The outage shouldn't affect any users during work hours.

Yes: The outage should have no impact on users during work hours.

#6: You're for your
No: Remember to defrag you're machine on a regular basis.

Yes: Remember to defrag your machine on a regular basis.

No: Your right about the changes.

Yes: You're right about the changes.

#7: Different than for different from
No: This setup is different than the one at the main office.

Yes: This setup is different from the one at the main office.

Yes: This setup is better than the one at the main office.

#8 Lay for lie
No: I got dizzy and had to lay down.

Yes: I got dizzy and had to lie down.

Yes: Just lay those books over there.

#9: Then for than
No: The accounting department had more problems then we did.

Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did.

Note: Here's a sub-peeve. When a sentence construction begins with If, you don't need a then. Then is implicit, so it's superfluous and wordy:

No: If you can't get Windows to boot, then you'll need to call Ted.

Yes: If you can't get Windows to boot, you'll need to call Ted.

#10: Could of, would of for could have, would have
No: I could of installed that app by mistake.

Yes: I could have installed that app by mistake.

No: I would of sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.

Yes: I would have sent you a meeting notice, but you were out of town.

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173 comments

  1. A sentence should not end with a verb! 336657
  2. Online grammar checker tnadasdi
  3. What bugs me : tara123
  4. -Whose / Who’s No: Who’s owl is biggest? Yes: Who... Dean
  5. No: I could care less Yes: I couldn't care le... Anonymous
  6. (Note: Outlook picks up on each of these erro... Bubba
  7. Urgent, british people help needed!!! Doris W
  8. -Whose / Who’s No: Who’s owl is biggest?... Goodbattery
  9. The "could of/ would of/ should of" error results... Ben M. Mullen
  10. How about an error that appears in nearly eve... C. Deruisseau
  11. The number of comments this article has... Writer
  12. [Quote] Note: The term i.e. means "that is"; e.g.... Anonymous
  13. Personally, I avoid commas with i.e. because... Anonymous
  14. "Not at thing." Who wants to be the first to... miya garza
  15. Marc Koltun 1000220092
  16. Um...impact is most certainly a verb. Check the OE... MAB
  17. Though "impact" should have minimal uses as a... Joseph Myers
  18. One of my biggest pet peeves is using "good" when... Rob
  19. How about "unique"? No such thing as very, r... Anonymous
  20. More common errors: Word's for plural instead of w... Anonymous
  21. No: what are you inferring? Yes:what are you imply... Robert Morley
  22. Yeah, see my web page (created July 1998) that cov... David Tribble
  23. When it comes to "impact" not being a verb, the au... Bill
  24. You've created a great list, but I can't believe y... Ed Vanderlinden
  25. Many of these are homophones; they only show... J CHIARAVALLOTI
  26. What about "myself?" We've all been taught t... David Honsinger
  27. I cannot believe that there has been no menti... Anonymous
  28. -Whose / Who’sNo: Who’s owl is biggest? Yes:... leon0909
  29. In general your article points out some common uni... Anonymous
  30. For the "its / it's" mistake, there is an easy rul... Larry Pedrick
  31. For a description of the "impact" issue, see the u... Fitz
  32. My favorite grammer faux pas, in speech not w... David
  33. I have always been confused about "insure" and "en... Brenda Helverson
  34. To Guard or Guarantee; Both are confused with... bookbabe
  35. Great article. I wish it was the top 15 or 20 gram... Anonymous
  36. If I were you, I wouldn't forget the subjunctive.... Zurg the Merciless
  37. Re: "insure" vs. "ensure:" To insure somethin... Anonymous
  38. According to Merriam-Webster, both insur... Peeved
  39. Remember though 351668
  40. Good article. A common mistake I notice, mostly i... Cathy
  41. But what about: That's me? And You and me? Herbert Brenne
  42. I agree that people's dependence on spell checkers... Jody Hudson
  43. Great article, and oh, so true. However, I would... Anonymous
  44. I kind of question the wisdom of writing an articl... Anonymous
  45. "Begs the question". My teeth begin to automatica... grammar nazi
  46. I am so relieved to see that someone else kno... Anonymous
  47. YES! It is so nice to know someone else cares abou... Craig Durham
  48. "Could care less"- if that is the case, then... B Durham
  49. Few people really know the difference between i.e.... Jason Coleman
  50. I agree wholeheartedly with all but item #4. In co... John Albrecht
  51. Ending sentences in 'at" is one I see frequen... Patrick
  52. The most common error I see is using "to" for "too... Michael Westbrook
  53. Using the word gender where sex is correct. People... David Denny
  54. You should live here in NC, where they say "... Carol Ellis
  55. Education, Education, Education... 67435
  56. My personal pet peeve: "congradulations" instead o... Anonymous
  57. My pet peeve, and it's not so much grammar as gene... Anonymous
  58. No: "don't set children on the counter"; Yes:... hikinthru
  59. I really like number 10. It shows how what we say... Graham
  60. This is nuts (nut'z). So, you expect everyone to w... Gerard ter Beke
  61. Gerard, We do not expect non-native English s... Chris Cosby
  62. If we -as non native English speakers/writers... DarthDarka
  63. The contractions are easy, and I'm amazed tha... Markus Berg
  64. People who confuse Do and Have. There us... David B. Wildgoose
  65. You forgot the posessive "apostrophe s" misused on... Anonymous
  66. How about "where it's at" instead of "where it is"... Anonymous
  67. how about the old "you and I" vs. "You and me"? Ja-el
  68. RE: Larry Pedrick's comment - "One never uses... Adrian
  69. Here, here... 67435
  70. I have noticed that people are saying bring when t... Peter
  71. Dear Jody, That is a great article. Unfortunately... Lester Zan
  72. A glaring omission: "Breath" for "Breathe". As in... Joe Meredith
  73. What is the difference between, "everyone" and "ev... Anonymous
  74. There is no difference between everyone and e... Grammar Queen
  75. No: "try and" - Yes: "try to" - This one annoys me... George
  76. Oh, Joe.....this could be an entire show! But, be... Anonymous
  77. If an author inflicts one of his pet peeves on the... Extra Character
  78. Given the dumbbing of America, it is pointles to p... Jonathan Swift
  79. Thank you for publishing this article. We need ref... Paul Buchman
  80. Many people don't know when to use "fewer" and whe... Dan
  81. The author, Jody Gilbert, states that "impact is n... Mike Abbott
  82. Gadfly wrote "Given the dumbbing of America, it is... Peter
  83. Shouldn't your title have been "10 flagrant gramma... TPua
  84. The most ubiquitous sin is the mistake of using "m... Anonymous
  85. I/Me - You need a subject, a verb and an obje... 1000010331
  86. You need a comma in this sentence since you have t... Chris Biermann
  87. You left out my #1 pet peeve of all time, plurals.... Chip Stone
  88. I've noticed people don't use adverbs anymore... Geoff
  89. Grocers' plurals 1000177273
  90. You missed another primary mistake people make all... Arthur T. College II
  91. I love the article and it's about time someone wro... Stevo Danger
  92. Excellent report. However, you left out the I/me s... Anonymous
  93. see, saw, have seen. This drives me crazy. People... jim kittelberger
  94. Wrong: SUV's. Also wrong: CD's. when will people r... Anonymous
  95. Apostrophes Only for Contraction and Ownershi... Sakinah77
  96. You missed the most prevalent mistake: using an ap... Anonymous
  97. There is another mistake I commonly see even on bu... Melanie Cummings
  98. THANK YOU!!! "Would of" has been one of my pet pee... Susan Grenier
  99. I don't see what the major issue is. So peopl... Who cares?
  100. Part of the problem, not the solution badbart
  101. With the exception of number 9, all of the suppose... Ed Tapanes
  102. okay here are mine: 'monies' the pleural of money... erin kennedy
  103. Yikes, Erin Kennedy. I think you're misinform... Stella Cotton
  104. The worst is Wan't. Where do they go to school? Anonymous
  105. Bring/Take are opposite of what I learned in high... Anonymous
  106. I haven't seen anyone post this pet peeve: u... Anonymous
  107. my personal favorite annoyance is when people say... Justin
  108. "Setup" vs. "set up". I see this all the time! T... Anonymous
  109. Great Article... I'm glad IT'S not such a small gr... ahoooi
  110. "...really helped me alot." - no, it's "a lot" "..... Flagrant Wordpick
  111. Good article - here's one more: 'less' used when '... Ken Burgin
  112. On "fewer" vs. "less" -- Use the former for coun... Tim Mc
  113. On a can of Pringles Fat Free chips, the bann... Anonymous
  114. I was really starting to think I was the only one... Alan
  115. how about using insure when you mean ensure? that... Anonymous
  116. I don't agree that i.e. and e.g. always requires a... Mark B. Boen, J.D.
  117. "All the time cards must be with no corrections" H... Anonymous
  118. Surely the key issue here is that the whole p... Conan the Grammarian
  119. How about the midwestern US favorite -- I borrowed... Anonymous
  120. My biggest pet peeve: lists of pet peeves that the... Anonymous
  121. Calvary and cavalry. Calvary is a place, John Way... Phil Wade
  122. #10 is my personal peeve out of that list. Here is... Anonymous
  123. You are incorrect in your statment about different... Anonymous
  124. different than/from 1000030281
  125. youre right. They're are so many stupid poeple wh... Alawishus McAllibur III
  126. In the following, there should be a period after '... Alawishus McAllibur III
  127. I once wrote 'admired by his piers' on a guy's eva... Alawishus McAllibur III
  128. I like you Brits humor. Funny reading your remark... Alawishus McAllibur III
  129. I hate that leet speak crap. lol Alawishus McAllibur III
  130. 'You've got mail' should be 'You have mail'. Alawishus McAllibur III
  131. It is rebellion that causes each generation to dep... Alawishus McAllibur III
  132. I'm going to bring it where I'm going at. That's... Alawishus McAllibur III
  133. David Wildgoose wrote: People who confuse Do and H... Alawishus McAllibur III
  134. How about 'verbal' rather than 'oral' - this is no... Jenny Cant
  135. You should add the incorrect use of "As per". It... Rick Brown
  136. You wrote: These days, we tend to communicate via... Marc Lombart
  137. Verbal versus Oral katmann
  138. Attempting to use "leverage" as a verb. Shows you... Anonymous
  139. Thank you thank you THANK YOU for your entry "Impa... M D Spangler
  140. How many times do you inform others that, "I am on... KenD
  141. No: "I am waiting on line for tickets." Yes: "I a... Alawishus McAllibur III
  142. "A better way to Internet" says peoplepc online.... Alawishus McAllibur III
  143. Brought instead of bought? Where, UK only? I kno... Alawishus McAllibur III
  144. "Brought instead of bought? Where, UK only?"... Nina
  145. Nina - you would only say "I brought a f... Bob Fry
  146. Thank you for the article, I am thrilled to see at... Anonymous
  147. I see this all the time katmann
  148. NO: We have been lead to this conclusion. YES: We... Ant
  149. "Brought instead of bought? Where, UK only?" Hi N... Alawishus McAllibur III
  150. This is obviously not a site for people who don't... Alawishus McAllibur III
  151. Why care? If for no other reason, you should... Bob Fry
  152. I can make up bad sentences and then put them thou... sadfsdfsdafg
  153. If a person's content is good I overlook grammer m... Aerek
  154. It is interesting, but not unexpected, that the pe... Alawishus McAllibur III
  155. How about people using 'less' when they mean 'fewe... Darren Stephens
  156. I cringe whenever supposedly learned people u... saul
  157. Totally! I can get a bee in my bonnet seeing commo... Anonymous
  158. Dear Peeved: Merriam-Webster actually says: ENSURE... Alawishus McAllibur III
  159. Also, please note that Merriam-Webster is a libera... Alawishus McAllibur III
  160. OK, I will. "Not at thing." 1) is not a sentence,... Alawishus McCalibur III
  161. They're laying their heads over there, where the w... bookbabe
  162. I could go on and on... 18302
  163. "Data is" or "Data are" ZorbaEisenhower
  164. ie & eg 68181
  165. 10 flagrant grammar putu
  166. More Brain Stuff . . From Cambridge University . glenburdis
  167. Online Versus In Line katmann
  168. The Difference Between a Subject and the an Object... Sakinah77
  169. Author makes more mistakes than he indicates stonecypher
  170. Author keeps removing comments pointing out their... stonecypher
  171. "Data" *is* a mass n... Butaneko
  172. erm, excuse me but tara123
  173. "Data" is not a mass noun... 1000091309

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