A Lesson in Spelling and Grammar: Part 3
Basic spelling and grammar skills may be a lost art, but that does not mean they cannot make a comeback.
by S4B0T4G3FIRE | March 26, 2021, 8:00 AM EDT
Abstract
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 and less clarification needed from you in the future. 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 to say.
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: This is not to say that anybody’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: Eliminating Double Negatives
Mistake: Using two negative words with the intention of saying something negative
This is one of the rare circumstances where English and Math overlap. In Math, if you multiply two negative numbers together, the product (answer) is actually positive. This works the same way for English. Many people use two negative words in a sentence (with the intention of saying something negative), which actually results in a positive statement. In order to be grammatically correct, you must use both a negative and a positive word in your statement. For example:
Double Negative: “I do not like nobody at my new school.”
Double Negative: “I do not need no help in school.”Actual Meaning: “I like at least one person at my new school.”
Actual Meaning: “I need help at school.”Correction: “I do not like anybody at my new school.” OR “I like nobody at my new school.”
Correction: “I do not need help in school.” OR “I need no help in school.”
Similar to how the double negative works in Math, the two negatives cancel each other out, resulting in a positive statement that the speaker does not mean to say. To say that you “do not need no help in school” is to say that you do need help in school. If you wish to say that you do not need help in school, you must leave out the word, “no,” as shown in the correction above.
Lesson 2: Spelling
Mistake: Misspelling words (to where they become meaningless or become different words with an entirely different meaning)
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 “excited” by writing “exited,” look at what you are actually saying:
- Excited — adj. enthusiastic or aroused; v. to cause enthusiasm or arousal in someone or something
- Exited— v. to leave or depart from a particular location
It is crucial that you include the ‘c’ to effectively show that you are communicating an emotion, not an action, to a reader or listener.
Looking at the table, you may also notice that all of the words listed are real words (with the exception of “panick” and “everytime”). Although they are real words, people tend to use them in incorrect contexts, which provides unintentional meaning. For instance, “our” and “are” are legitimate words, but people use them almost interchangeably even though they do not have interchangeable meanings:
- Are — v. exist (as)
- Our — pro. belonging to the person talking and others mentioned by the person talking
So, saying “We took are dog for a walk” makes no logical sense and is entirely incorrect as a result. This mistake is very common, and it is important to understand that “are,” though a real word, is not interchangeable with “our.”
Likewise, adding a space to “awhile” does change how the word can be used in a sentence. The same goes for adding an apostrophe to “lets.” It becomes a different word written for a different context. Take a moment to research the definitions of the other words and phrases listed in the table to see if you have been using them in the appropriate contexts!
Lesson 3: Tenses of “See”
Mistake: Making up incorrect tenses of the verb, “see”
Learning the different tenses of verbs and using them correctly is something that you have to memorize and practice in your own writing and speech. One of the most common verbs conjugated incorrectly is “see.” There is a limited number of correct conjugations to “see,” with “sees, “seen,” “seeing,” and “saw” being the most common. In order to correctly use the forms of “see,” you must eliminate from your dictionary every made-up form that you do not see listed here. Some of these made-up forms (as well as some correct usages) can be SEEN in the examples below:
Incorrect: “I seen it.”
Incorrect: “I seent it.”
Incorrect: “I seed it.”Correct: “I saw it.”
Correct: “You will see.”
Correct: “We would have seen the train go by, but the school bus in front of us was blocking it.”
Correct: I should have gone to see the new movie because I heard it was very good.
As mentioned previously, the correct use of verb conjugations relies heavily on memorization and practice. As you work to perfect this skill in your own writing and speech, the biggest favor that you can do for yourself is to avoid using “seent” and “seed” altogether, and focus on perfecting your usage of “see,” “saw,” and “seen.”
Bonus Lesson: A vs An
Mastering this bonus lesson is as easy as knowing the difference between a vowel and a consonant. If a word begins with a “Vowel Sound,” you would use the article, “an,” before it. If a word begins with a “Consonant Sound,” you would use the article, “a,” before it. Below, all of the possible sounds (at the beginning of words) of the letters in the English alphabet have been provided for you:
First, “y” is so rarely used with a “Vowel Sound” at the beginning of words, so we will ignore it during this lesson. Now, let us explore some examples of when to use “a” or “an” in a sentence, so you can better understand this rule.
If a word begins with a “Vowel Sound,” always use the article, “an,” before it. For example:
Word: “apple”
Sound of First Letter: Vowel Sound
Article: “an”
Sentence: “She picked an apple from the tree.”
If a word begins with a “Consonant Sound,” always use the article, “a,” before it. For example:
Word: “potato”
Sound of First Letter: Consonant Sound
Article: “a”
Sentence: “He picked a potato from the ground.”
Now, let us discuss the special letter, ‘u.’ This is the only letter in the English alphabet that commonly possesses a “Vowel Sound” and a “Consonant Sound” at the beginning of words. For example:
Word: “umbrella”
Sound of First Letter: Vowel Sound
Article: “an”
Sentence: Just in case it rained later, she brought an umbrella to work.Word: “university”
Sound of First Letter: Consonant Sound
Article: “a”
Sentence: He applied to a university in New York.
There are some other exceptions to these rules, such as “one” and “euro,” which both begin with vowels of “Consonant Sound” nature, but this bonus lesson has equipped you with the knowledge to tackle such exceptions when you encounter them. Simply by knowing the pronunciation of those words, you quickly realize that the ‘o’ in “one” is pronounced as a consonant-sounding ‘w,’ and the ‘e’ in “euro” is pronounced as a consonant-sounding ‘y’ (so both words would be preceded by the article, “a”).
Good luck with your writing!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read these lessons! I had a lot of fun writing them! 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!
