You guys are killing me. Seriously, killing me. Last month, we talked about social networking, which is definitely the bottom of my list of “favorite things to do.” This month? Editing. Sigh.
I have a confession to make. Editing is the bane of my existence.
I know; I’m a writer, so I should be able to write well. I know the rules of grammar. I understand the difference between “there” and “their.” I can use a semicolon with ease. I do well at using the words “good” and “well” – yes, it is a good thing to know the difference.
Yet, I employ …read more

In elementary school, we learn to say “John and I” all the time. It’s formal. It’s polite. It’s right.
Or is it?
Actually, using and I when talking about being with another person isn’t always the right choice. It is often instinctual to use and I, since it was drilled into our heads throughout school, but sometimes, the correct term is and me. *Gasp* Yes; it’s true – you can use and me sometimes and be grammatically correct!
But when?

Use and I when it is the subjects of the sentence. My fellow writers and I hate grammar mistakes.
Use and me when it …read more

It’s hard to remember when to use its and when to use it’s. One means it is or it has and the other make it possessive. But which one is which?

It’s should be used to refer to it is or it has. It’s a contraction.
Its should be used as a possessive form of it. Its lack of apostrophe is important.

How can you remember this? It can be tricky. Here’s how I do it:
It’s (it is or it has) uses an apostrophe. In contractions like don’t and can’t use the apostrophe to replace a letter. The same is true for it’s. …read more

Many people mix up fewer and less. These words are pretty easy to understand, though, once someone actually tells you the rule. Maybe high schools these days aren’t teaching this rule?

Use fewer when you can count the item.
Use less when you cannot count the item.

Simple, huh? So, you’d say, “John has fewer toys than Joe.” You’d also say “It rains less in Arizona than in Florida.” Less also applies to emotions and other things you can’t see or touch.
You have fewer shoes, but less happiness. You have fewer pillows, but less sleep.You have fewer watches, but less time.
Easy enough – …read more

Using numbers in your writing isn’t as hard as you may thing…and there is actually a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to writing with numbers. Let’s go over some basic rules, though:

Spell out numbers less than 10.
Use digits for numbers over nine.
Be consistent if there are two or more numbers in a sentence and one is over ten.
Spell out fractions like one-half, using a hyphens.
Use digits for decimals like 0.19. Add a zero to the front unless the decimal starts with a zero.
Spell out large round numbers like one million or seven thousand.
Spell out the number if it …read more

Knowing when to use lay and when to use lie is tricky. I mess it up myself from time to time, and over half of all writers do as well, if I was going to guess on statistics. Here’s a quick guide:
You lay an object. So, the following sentences are correct:

Lay the book on the table.
The girl will lay her clothes on the bed.
I want to lay this blanket on the chair.

You lie if you’re talking about yourself…or another thing (like a pet) is doing it to itself. So, the following sentences are correct:

The child will lie down in the …read more

By far, one of my biggest pet peeves is a writer who doesn’t understand how to use a semicolon correct. Or, rather, the writer fails to use a semicolon. Most commonly, this is in conjunction with the word however.
I think that most people know that a semicolon can be used in place of a period when the two sentences are highly related. For example:
I work as a freelance writer; most of my work is done from home.
Overusing semicolons doesn’t make you sound smart. My 7th grade English teacher told me that semicolons are like jalapeno peppers. One makes a dish …read more

I’m not known for my excellent grammar and spelling. Actually, more often than not, I just type too fast for my own good – and while I’m excellent at proofreading others’ work, I find it extremely difficult to spot my own mistakes. My problem isn’t, in general, not knowing the rules, but that doesn’t really matter. As a writer, mistakes can be fatal to a relationship with your clients, whether you knew the rule or not.
What drives me nuts, though, is the fact that many freelancers out there don’t seem to know the rules at all.
We all make mistakes, but …read more

Last week, in a post I wrote, I used the word towards. Or, more accurately, I used the non-word towards when I mean toward. One commenter was quick to notice it:
One thing, as an old-school writer, toward, backward, and forward do not ever have an s on the end. Towards, backwards, and forwards are not words. (Pet peeve of mine…) Also having difficult time accepting text, twitter, and the like because of the erosion of real words. Accepted the end of ink on my hands, but cannot accept the lingo, especially in a forum that does not require it.
- Gina
LOL …read more