Better spelling wonted

Today's fun word that looks like an error but isn't is: Wont!

A wont is a habitual way of doing things. He went to school in the morning, as is his wont. There are also adjective and verb forms. He went to school, as he is wont to do.

Your spellchecker can deceive you. Don't trust it.

Caring Less

If you really don't care at all about something, then you couldn't care less. If you say, "I could care less," then you are saying "I care at least a little."

You can still proscribe drugs

Today's fun word that looks like an error but isn't is: Proscribe!

To proscribe is to condemn or forbid.

Your spellchecker can deceive you. Don't trust it.

Expansive and Expensive

Expansive - very large. Containing a broad expanse.

Expensive - very costly.

Confident and Confidant

"Confident" is an adjective. To be confident is to be certain or sure. It is often used to describe someone who is sure of his ability to handle any situation.

"Confidant" is a noun. A confidant is someone you are willing to tell secrets to, someone you confide in. "Confidant" is masculine. The feminine form is "confidante."

Cant Spell This

Today's fun word that looks like an error but isn't is: Cant!

A cant is a secret language. Examples include Thieves' Cant and Shelta, also known as the Cant, used by Irish Travellers.

Your spellchecker can deceive you. Don't trust it.

Revising and Rewriting

Give your writing a rest before you go back to review it. How long a rest? That depends on what you've written. If it's a paragraph, wait a few minutes. If it's a novel, wait at least several weeks.

It also depends, of course, on whether you face a deadline.

Check your manuscript with a fresh eye. Ideally, leave it alone for a while and then revise it again.

Look at the document macroscopically and check to see if the organization makes sense and the message is clear. Check sentence by sentence and word by word, being picky about grammar, spelling, and word choice. Check every pronoun and ask yourself if it can be misunderstood.

If you have a lot of trouble with spelling and grammar, consider going through the document backwards. This will help you focus on each word and sentence.

If possible, get someone you trust to look over what you've written. Often something that seems perfectly clear to you will be ambiguous or confusing to another reader.

The most important part of revising and rewriting is knowing when to stop. Some writers will literally invest months trying to get the first page perfect, and never move on to the second page. There is a fine line between high standards and thundering idiocy. Be careful not to cross it.

Advice versus Advise

"Advice," rhyming with "spice," is a noun. You give advice and receive advice.

"Advise," rhyming with "wise," is a verb. You advise someone by giving them advice.

Don't be confused by the ‘s’ in "advise." It is pronounced ‘z.’

Show Don't Tell

This one is for the fiction writers out there. This is one of the most-repeated rules in fiction writing, but it's not an easy rule to understand and follow.

Show, don't tell. Telling is easy and simple. Showing is much harder. Showing takes more work and more words. Showing also works much, much better.

I grew up reading the Hardy Boys, the classic stuff published in the 60s. In pretty much every novel, Frank and Joe would get the same sentence of description. Frank was the serious and thoughtful one, while Joe was more impulsive. How much better it would have been to craft a scene that would demonstrate these traits and give us a chance to get to know the characters on our own.

Imagine if the Sherlock Holmes stories began by telling us that Holmes is brilliant, moody, and eccentric, while Watson is an earnest and not as bright. Anyone who has read a few of the stories knows exactly what Holmes and Watson are like. We don't have to take the author's word for it. We've seen the two men in action.

There are, of course, pitfalls to the rule of showing and not telling. We can indicate an emotion in someone by describing their body language. Someone might stiffen, sneer, or clench their fists. However, sometimes it is better to be succinct. Sometimes it is better just to say that a character is annoyed, rather than running through a list of twitches and clenches.

phase/faze

Phase - a noun; a part of something measured in time. He is going through a phase. Do you know the phases of the moon?

Faze - a verb; refers to being disturbed or upset. When the car broke down it didn't faze me.

Averse/Adverse

People are averse, when they have an aversion to something. I am averse to eating Brussels sprouts.

Conditions are adverse. There is a blizzard. I don't want to hike under such adverse conditions.

complement, compliment

Compliment - Something nice you say about someone. Pay someone a compliment.

Complement - Something that makes something complete. The fort has the full complement of troops. That tie is a complement to that suit.

Weeding Out Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Usually (but not always) it is better to eliminate the adverb. Instead, choose a better word to replace the word being modified.

"He ate his food quickly" could be "he bolted his food" or "he wolfed down his food." "She said loudly" could be "she screamed," "she shouted," or "she bellowed." The version without the adverb is actually more descriptive, as well as stronger.

Adverbs that modify adjectives are equally suspicious. "Very small" could be "tiny." "Fairly fat" might be "chubby." An adverb that is modified by another adverb can probably be replaced. "He fights extremely well" is not as elegant as "he fights superbly."

Not every adverb needs to be removed. Consider the above example, "he fights superbly." There isn't a good verb that means "fight superbly." Sometimes the adverb should be left alone.

Adding Variety to your Sentences

If your writing becomes monotonous, you may need some variety among your sentences. If you use the same sentence structure more than twice in a row, your readers may become bored. You can mix things up by adding a particularly long sentence, allowing your prose to flow and swirl as you explore an idea in depth, but what can you do after that? Sentence fragment! Break the rules to give your paragraphs some zip.

Use vs Utilize

Don't use the word "utilize." It's just a pretentious way to say "use." There isn't anything really wrong with the word utilize, but it makes your writing clumsy and less clear.
In Britain, "utilize" is spelled with as "s." Don't use "utilise" either.

Stationary vs Stationery

Stationary is an adjective meaning motionless. Don't try to change a tire unless the car is stationary.
Stationery is paper, especially fancy paper or paper printed with a company letterhead. Use nice stationery if you write your mom a letter.

Principle and Principal

A principle is a belief or a point of honor. I always take my bottles to the recycling depot, not for the refund but as a matter of principle.
"Principal" means "first" or "top-ranked." The principal of a school is the top-ranked person there. I'm scared of mice, but my principal fear is snakes.

Avoid Confusion with Pronouns

Every pronoun is a potential problem. Each time you say "he, " "she," or "it," asks yourself if there is any way the pronoun can be misunderstood. It is not always obvious where misunderstandings can occur, because you, the writer, always know what you mean. You, however, may be the only one.

Consider this example:

Andy said he ran into Bob and Carl the other day. He said he stepped on his toe, and he was really mad about it. He said he was sorry.

Who did what? Your guess is as good as mine.

Affect vs Effect

Affect is a verb. Things affect other things.

Effect is a noun. Things have effects.

The weather didn't affect me. It had no effect on me.

proceeding away from clarity

A bizarre thing happens when the average citizen is asked to fill out a police report. Suddenly clear communication disappears as the civilian decides he must sound official.

"I was proceeding down fourth street..."

How were you proceeding? Driving? Walking? Riding a stolen shopping cart while sound asleep?

Avoid words like "proceeding," words which hide their meaning. There is nothing wrong with saying, "I was walking" or "I was driving." People should know what you actually mean.

"She" vs "Her"

Wrong - "Her and her friend are going to the store."

Right - "She and her friend are going to the store."

To get it right, leave out her friend. You would say "She is going to the store," not "Her is going to the store." She is going to the store; She and her friend are going to the store.

Lay vs Lie

If it's just a person, use "lie." After a hard day of blogging I need to lie down.

If you're acting on some other object, use "lay." The ketchup bottle is almost empty, so lay it on its side.

I remember this by noting the letter "I" in "lie." I am going to lie down.

Nested quotes

You can use single quotes inside of double quotes to quote someone who is quoting someone else.

"So, Jerry," I said, "what did she say?"

"She said, 'hello.' That's all," Jerry replied.

Joe and me

Sometimes it is correct to say "Joe and me" and not "Joe and I." If you're not sure which form to use, try leaving Joe out. If you would say, "I am going to the store," then say, "Joe and I are going to the store."

On the other hand, if you would say "give it to me," then you should say "give it to Joe and me."

Check, cheque, Czech

"Check" can mean to examine or can refer to a check mark in any version of English. In American English, "check" can also refer to a bank draft.

In British or Canadian English, a bank draft is referred to as a "cheque."

"Czech" refers to the Czech Republic.

Who's and Whose

"Who's" means "who is." Who's there? He's a man who's going to the top.

"Whose" means "belonging to whom." Whose shoes are those?

This can be confusing because, of course, apostrophes can indicate possession. But "who's" always means "who is."

Brothers in Law

I have a brother-in-law. If another sister gets married, I will have another brother, but not another law. I will have two brothers-in-law, not two brother-in-laws.

This can be confusing. The car that belongs to my brother-in-law is my brother-in-law's car, not my brother's-in-law car.

Discrete and Discreet

"Discrete" is an adjective meaning "separate." Keep the gravy in a discrete package or everything else will get soggy.

"Discreet" is an adjective that means using discretion, keeping things private. You can tell Joe about your problems because he will be discreet. She carries personal items discreetly in a purse.

Setup versus set up

A setup is a noun. I like your setup.

"Set up" is a verb followed by an adverb. Let's set up the tent.

You have a nice music setup because you set up your stereo nicely.

If someone decides to set you up, it will be a setup. I've been set up. It's a setup.

Definately Incorrect

Common spelling mistake - "Definately." The word is "definitely," with two 'i's and no 'a'. It's an easy mistake to make because the word is often pronounced as if there was an 'a' in there. However, "definately" is definitely incorrect.

Capitalizing the Internet

Strictly speaking, there is only one Internet and "Internet" is its name. Therefore, like any name, it is a proper noun and should be capitalized. However, most people don't capitalize "Internet." Spelling it as "internet" is generally considered acceptable.

Anyway

"Any way" means "some way" or "a way." Is there any way I can cash a cheque on the weekend?

"Anyway" is an expression meaning "regardless." I'm scared, but I'll jump anyway.

"Anyways" is just bad English. You wouldn't say "anythings." Don't say "anyways."

Your and you're

"Your" means "belonging to you." Is that your dog?

"You're" means "you are." You're my friend. You're going to be late.

This can be confusing because there is an apostrophe after the word "you" and we associate apostrophes with possession. Here is an example of a common error: "Is that you're dog?" This example translates as, "Is that you are dog?"

Affect and Effect

“Affect” is a verb. Things affect other things. Sunshine affects flowers. Rain affects my mood.

“Effect” is a noun. Things have an effect. Sunshine has a good effect on flowers. Rain has a bad effect on my mood.

Led and Lead

Lead (pronounced "leed") is the present tense of a verb meaning to go first and bring something behind you. Lead the way, lead a horse to water, etc.

Led is the past tense of the same verb. He led the way, she led me astray, etc.

Lead (pronounced "led") is a soft, heavy grey metal. Bullets are made from lead.

Brevity

"Brevity is the soul of wit"
- William Shakespeare

"Avoid unnecessary words"
- Strunk and White, The Elements of Style

Usually, the fewer words you use to communicate something, the stronger your writing. If the extra words don't communicate anything, leave them out.

Consider this example:

"At this moment, we are now planning to leave at 6 a.m. in the morning."

6 a.m. in the morning is obviously redundant. Pick one or the other. There are some subtler problems, too.

"At this moment... now" - these two phrases say the same thing. You could choose one or the other. But do you really need either one? "We are planning to leave" is in the present tense. "We are planning to leave" says the same thing as "now we are planning to leave."

"We are planning to leave at 6 a.m." We have trimmed away most of the fat. There is room for just a little bit more improvement. "We plan to leave" is better than "we are planning to leave."

We can remove more than half of the sentence without losing any of the original meaning:

"We plan to leave at 6 a.m."

The sentence can be made just a little bit shorter, but the meaning changes slightly:

"We will leave at 6 a.m." Obviously, if you say you will leave at six, you must be planning to leave at six.

Don't make your readers hunt for something meaningful in an ocean of words. Figure out what you're trying to say, say it, and don't say anything else.

Feeling Bad(ly)

Bad is an adjective, describing a noun. I am bad. My health is bad. I feel bad.

Badly is an adverb, describing a verb. I play golf badly. I slept badly last night.

If you say, "I feel badly," it suggests that you are not very good at feeling. "I feel badly because I'm wearing thick gloves" makes sense.

If you don't feel good, you feel bad. Not badly. It would be correct to say, "I feel bad because I write badly." And you should.

Could of/Could have

This is an easy one. Always use "could have." Never use "could of." These are often confused because they sound similar. However, I can't think of a circumstance when "could of" would be correct.

Should of/Should have, Would of/Would have

As with "could have," always use "should have" and "would have." Do not ever use "should of" or "would of."

Its and It's

Normally, apostrophes can be used to show possession. The dog's ball. The cat's pyjamas.

There is one exception to that rule. In theory, the exception exists to avoid confusion, although it can cause confusion of its own. "It's" with an apostrophe always means "it is." "Its" without an apostrophe means "belonging to it."

Use "everyday" correctly every day

"Everyday" is an adjective meaning "ordinary." Use "everyday" to describe a thing: brushing your teeth is an everyday experience. Brushing your teeth is ordinary, commonplace.

"Every day" means "every single day." Use "every day" if you could say "each day" or "every single day." If you have no idea, use "every day."

"I will phone you every day until I get back. They will be ordinary, everyday phone calls, but every day that we are apart I'll miss you."

Common error - "alot"

There is no such word as "alot", although it is a common mistake. It is two words. "A lot", like "a bird" or "a snack". You would never say, "I saw abird fly by."

"Who" and "Whom"

If you could use the word "He", use "Who". If you could use the word "Him", use "Whom".

WHO:
He is there. Who is there?

He did it. Who did it?

Notice that "Who" is followed by a verb. Who is, who does, etc.

WHOM:
I gave it to him. You gave it to whom?

I love him. Whom do you love?

Notice that the verb is either before "whom", or else there are other words in the way. The person referred to as "whom" is not doing anything.

Suppose one person punches another person. The person doing something (punching) is "who". The person getting punched is "whom". You might ask, "Who hit whom?"

"Reek" and "Wreak"

"Reek" refers to a terrible smell. It can be a verb or a noun. "Your socks reek! I can't stand the reek of your socks."

"Wreak" is usually used with the word "havoc", and refers to damage. It is a verb. "If the cat gets into the cupboard, he will wreak havoc with the china."

When to Use Quotation Marks

Use quotation marks around quotations, like this:

Joe said, "Hello."

"Do, or do not. There is no try."
- Yoda

You can also use quotation marks to indicate irony. You see your brother with his new girlfriend. They are pretending to be just friends. You could describe them like this:

This is Joe and his "friend", Maria.

Using hyphens correctly - "Sign-in"

Hyphens can be used to combine two words when they mean one thing, together, as an adjective (describing a noun). For instance, a sign-in sheet. If you have a big red apple, that is two adjectives. It is a big apple. It is also a red apple. The sign-in sheet, however, is only one kind of sheet. It is not a "sign sheet", or an "in sheet". It is just a sign-in sheet. The words are combined because it is just one concept.

The problem people encounter is that they misunderstand the rule. Someone reads the phrase "sign-in sheet" and thinks that "sign in" always needs a hyphen. It does not. Only use the hyphen if the two words together make one adjective.

"Please sign-in at the front" - WRONG

"Please sign in on the sign-in sheet" - RIGHT

The Smith is... a moron, or, how not to use apostrophes

Here's a good rule of thumb for using apostrophes: if you're not sure why you're putting in an apostrophe, you should probably leave it out.

Contrary to popular opinion, the apostrophe is not just part of the letter "s" whenever it comes at the end of a word. Describing more than one egg? That would be "eggs", not "egg's".

There are many reasons to use an apostrophe, but most of the time you only need to remember two. Use apostrophes for contractions ("the egg is broken" becomes "the egg's broken") and to show possession ("the shirt belongs to Joe" becomes "Joe's shirt"). If it's not a contraction and it's not possession, you probably shouldn't have an apostrophe.

Here's an example you see all the time. A sign in someone's front yard proudly proclaims, "The Smith’s". This means either "The Smith is" (The Smiths is what?) or "belonging to The Smith" (which person gets to be "The Smith?"). To me, that sign proudly declares, "a moron lives here, and his name is Smith."

More than nine out of 10 apostrophe mistakes are an apostrophe put in where it doesn't belong. Missing apostrophes are much more rare. When in doubt, leave the apostrophe out.

"Then" or "Than"?

When do you use "then" versus "than"? The easiest way to remember is this: use "than" for any sort of comparison. "I am taller than you." "Eggs are more expensive than cheese."

"Then" indicates time ("I went to the store, and this then I went home."), or a cause-effect relationship ("If you are late, then you will lose five marks."). Be careful, though. If you are comparing times, you should still use "than". "He arrived earlier than I did."

If you are not sure which to use, try this simple test. Only use "then" if you could just as easily say "and then", or if you used the word "if" before "then".