Grammar Helper: Farther vs. Further
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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Farther and further are often mixed up in writing and in speaking. Luckily, they’re also very easy to use correctly once you know the difference.
Farther is used when a distance can be measured.
I ran farther yesterday than I have all summer.
Cincinnati is farther from here than Pittsburgh.
In both examples, the distance is measurable. We can [...]
Writing Helper: Idea vs. Ideal
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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I think people get these two words mixed up simply because they sound and look alike. In reality, their meanings are quite different.
Idea is a though or inspiration.
I have a great idea.
Hey, what’s the idea!
Ideal means perfect (adjective).
This is not an ideal situation.
Janet is holding out for her ideal job offer.
Ideal can also be a [...]
Writing Helper: Choose vs Chose
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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Here’s another one that I see all the time in writing, but I never hear.
Choose is a present-tense verb. It’s pronounced like booze.
Which option will you choose for your investments?
Did you choose which restaurant you want to go to for dinner?
Chose is a past-tense verb. It’s pronounced like hose.
I chose to sell our house before [...]
Writing Helper: Bath vs Bathe
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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This is one that I see in writing, and I hear in slang.
Bath is a noun; bathe is a verb. Note that bath has the short “a” sound (like cat), and bathe has the long “a” sound (like rake).
Examples:
You need to bathe the dog.
He really needs to take a bath.
When you bathe, you take a [...]
Writing Helper: A lot
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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I see this one all the time, and it drives me nuts. It’s also a very easy mistake to avoid, with a simple memory trick.
A lot is always two words, never alot.
To help you remember, you would never write alittle, so never write alot.
Easy, right?
Possessive vs. Plural: Getting it Right
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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When it comes to writing, this is one that really pops out when you make a mistake. You add an apostrophe when you really meant plural, or you leave it out by mistake. It’s not as tough to get right as you might think; in fact, it’s downright easy.
Apostrophes are used to show ownership, not [...]
Avoiding the Passive Voice
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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I started to title this, Passive Voice, why it should be avoided, but that’s just a bit much, don’t you think?
It’s not a half-bad example of passive voice though. In short, passive voice is when the subject is not doing the action. Above, “it” isn’t avoiding anything, right? Here are some more examples of the [...]
Writing Helper: Lose vs. Loose
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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I have to confess, this is one that drives me nuts. I hate to see it misused, and I see it all the time, unfortunately. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see this one on someone’s blog, and often on big-name blogs that are drawing lots of readers. Some may argue that it [...]
Writing Helper: Stationary vs. Stationery
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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Stationary vs. Stationery
I’m not sure how useful this tip is, considering how few people write letters on paper any more!
Stationary means to be still, not moving.
Stationery refers to writing paper.
I need to buy new stationery.
The car ought to have remained stationary!
In order to write on stationery, it must be stationary. (I couldn’t resist.)
Cite, sight and site
Posted by Jo | Filed under Writing Helper
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These are often confused, possibly because two of them are relatively rarely used.
Cite means to refer to a source, as when you write a research paper.
Site refers to a specific place or location, as in a building site.
Sight refers to seeing, as in vision.
Examples:
You need to cite more sources for your research.
The accident caused him [...]
