A Lesson in Spelling and Grammar: Part 2
Basic spelling and grammar skills can officially be called a “lost art.”
by S4B0T4G3FIRE | July 21, 2020, 8:00 AM EDT
Since the introduction I wrote for “Part 1” covered everything I would like to mention at the beginning of this article, I will use the same one here:
Many people would argue that there are circumstances where “proper” spelling and grammar are unnecessary (for instance, on social media), but I would argue that these language components are always necessary, especially on social media. Taking a moment to add just a couple of commas or to verify the spelling of a word before making a post or reply will go a long way toward bettering people’s understanding of what you are trying to say. Doing so will also lead to fewer misinterpretations by those people, and less clarification needed from you, in the future. In other words, you may as well take a few seconds to proofread your posts because it will usually save you the time and effort of having to clarify, later on, what you actually meant.
In this article, I will discuss the basic rules and fixes for some of the most common writing mistakes that social media users make.
Disclaimer: Every time I go back to read one of my previous pieces of writing, I notice numerous mistakes that I never thought I would make. This is not to say that my (or anyone else’s) spelling and grammar skills should be perfect, or even close to perfect, but rather to say that we are all in a constant state of improvement, and a little guidance from others along the way should be taken open-mindedly and appreciatively. Similarly, we should not always assume that people who correct others’ spelling and grammar mistakes are trying to be “toxic.” Some people truly are just trying to help you (even if you are not seeking help), so you should not automatically assume that their intentions are harmful, nor should you take everything personally. There are polite ways of saying, “Thank you, but your help is not needed right now.”
Lesson 1: Could/Should/Would/Must Have
Mistake: Writing “of” instead of “have.”
Example Set 1:
Correct: “I could have performed better on my History exam if I had studied for it.”
Incorrect: “I could of finished the marathon if I had trained harder for it.”
This mistake is likely a direct result of the way “could’ve,” the contraction for “could have,” is pronounced. When people hear “could’ve,” they do not realize that they are hearing a contraction, and they instead are led to believe that they are hearing the two words, “could of.” Mastering this first lesson is as simple as understanding that “could/should/would/must of” is always incorrect. “Have” is always correct.
Lesson 2: Spelling
Mistake: Misspelling words (to where they have no meaning, or to where they become different words with different meaning)
Example Set 1:
Some of the most common spelling mistakes people make on social media include the following:
The best way to avoid misspelling these words is just to memorize them. The more you write them correctly, the less you will make a mistake. If you are still uncertain, look them up again and again. This repetition will lead you to memorize them correctly. For instance, every time you misspell “rogue” by writing “rouge,” look at what you are actually saying:
- Rogue — n. a dishonest, bad person
- Rouge — n. a cosmetic cream/powder
Furthermore, although “loose” and “breath” are both real words, many people incorrectly use them instead of correctly using “lose” or “breathe.” Have you been using them incorrectly as well? Consider their definitions:
- Lose — v. to be deprived of something you wanted to have or previously had
- Loose — adj. not secure or well-fitted to something
- Breathe — v. inhale oxygen into the lungs, and then exhale carbon dioxide
- Breath — n. the air inhaled into, or exhaled from, the lungs
These are not interchangeable spellings. Although “loose” and “breath” are real words, too many people use them when they really mean to use “lose” and “breathe.”
Lesson 3: Homophones
Mistake: Using the incorrect homophone.
Example Set 1:
Homophones are words that sound the same (when spoken) but have different meanings. There are many homophones in the English language, but a few commonly misused homophones include the following:
There is no good advice to be given here other than the fact that knowing the definitions and becoming familiar with the uses of these words will help you avoid misusing them in your writing. I will get you started with the definitions of “vain,” “vane,” and “vein.”
- Vain — self-centered/conceited
- Vane — a blade that rotates as a result of wind or water
- Vein — a tube-like structure that carries blood throughout the human the body
Memorizing spellings and simple definitions like these will help you communicate exactly what you mean over social media.
Similarly, you cannot just change phrases such as “a part of something bigger” or “a lot of people” to “apart of” and “alot of.” Although “apart” is a real word, its meaning is entirely incorrect when used to mean “a part of.” “Alot,” on the other hand, just is not a word at all. Avoid it at all costs.
Lesson 4: I vs Me
Mistake: Using “I” instead of “Me,” or vice versa.
Example Set 1:
This is probably an area where people have tried to correct you in the past, and sometimes those people are even wrong themselves. The rule is actually quite simple to understand. Let us begin with an example:
Correct: “Susie and I went to the store.”
Incorrect: “Me and Susie went to the store.”
Literally, all you need to do is temporarily remove from the sentence the object that is not you. After removing “Susie” from the sentence, we are left with the following sentences:
Correct: “I went to the store.”
Incorrect: “Me went to the store.”
“Me went” is entirely incorrect, and “I went” is always correct, so “I” is the correct word to use in this case.
Perhaps this next method will make things even clearer. From the above example, you should be able to recognize that “Susie and I/Me” can be replaced by “We.” If “we” is grammatically correct in the sentence, “I” (not “me”) is the correct word to use.
Example Set 2:
If “we” does not work, then try “us” instead. Consider this next example:
Correct: My parents drove my brother and me to school.
Incorrect: My parents drove my brother and I to school.
If “drove us” makes grammatical sense, then use “me.” If “drove we” makes grammatical sense, then use “I.” Obviously, in this case, “drove us” makes sense, so it is correct to use “me” here.
Using the first method we learned, we would arrive at the same conclusion. If we remove “my brother” from the sentence, we are just left with “My parents drove me to school” which is correct…or “My parents drove I to school” which is entirely incorrect.
After familiarizing ourselves with these rules, we can even apply these methods to sentences like “The spaghetti is my mother’s and my favorite order” (“my” is correct because “my favorite order” is grammatically correct)… and “Cycling is a hobby of my neighbor’s and mine” (“mine” is correct because “a hobby of mine” is grammatically correct). Try it out in your own writing!
Bonus Lesson: Fewer vs Less
Mistake: Using the incorrect word.
Example Set 1:
Correct: After Bill and Stacy dieted for one month, Bill had lost fewer pounds than Stacy had lost.
Incorrect: After Bill and Stacy dieted for one month, Bill had lost less pounds than Stacy had lost.
“Fewer” should always be used for values that possess discrete characteristics as opposed to continuous characteristics. Consider the following definitions:
Discrete — associated with individual, separate, and exact values; used for quantities that can be counted, such as coins in a piggy bank or players on a team; “a number of something”
Continuous — associated with “unbroken” values; used for quantities that can be measured to be any value (including decimal values), such as air temperature or the speed of a car; “an amount of something”
Now that we are familiar with the rule, let us return to the previous example. If we are referring to “pounds,” we are referring to the discrete, countable number of pounds of bodyweight. If Bill lost 8 pounds and Stacy lost 11 pounds, Bill lost fewer pounds than Stacy lost.
However, if we wish to use “less” instead, we can rewrite the sentence as follows:
Correct: After Bill and Stacy dieted for one month, Bill had lost less weight than Stacy had lost.
Incorrect: After Bill and Stacy dieted for one month, Bill had lost fewer weight than Stacy had lost.
“Less” should always be used with values that possess continuous characteristics. If we are referring to “weight,” we are referring to the amount of something. If Bill lost 8 pounds and Stacy lost 11 pounds, Bill lost less weight (fewer pounds) than Stacy lost.
Having trouble? Perhaps this next example is even easier to understand.
Example Set 2:
Correct: The animal shelter down the street has fewer dogs than the animal shelter up the street has.
Correct: Since the animal shelter down the street has fewer dogs than the animal shelter up the street has, less dog food is delivered there.
Realistically, the number of “dogs” will only ever be one, two, three, four, etc. A fraction/decimal of a dog is not at all realistic, so you would use “fewer.” On the other hand, the amount of “dog food” would not be counted. One dog food? That has no meaning in the English language, so you would use “less.”
- Discrete — Fewer — coins, pounds, dogs
- Continuous — Less — temperature (heat), speed, dog food
You can count coins, pounds, and dogs. You can measure temperature, speed, and an amount of dog food.
Good luck with your writing!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this article! I had a lot of fun writing it! If you are trying to better your understanding of some basic rules in English writing, then I hope you found this resource useful to you! English can be a very tricky language to learn. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to comment below or on my social media!
Also, I encourage you to check out some of my other articles here!
