Don't End Up Like Killface: 5 Grammatical Errors to Avoid

In the series premiere of Frisky Dingo, Killface wanted to use a direct mailing campaign featuring the following postcard to publicize his plans to annihilate mankind.

Unfortunately, several episodes later he was mocked on national TV because of the grammatical errors on his postcard.  This probably wasn’t the publicity he was looking for.  Luckily, you’ve found Fering Communications to make sure you don’t make similar types of errors that will make you look less than professional.  Here are five common grammatical errors explained so you can avoid the “DOOM!” making them will surely bring.

1. Your vs. You’re – “You’re” is a contraction of “you are” and is used to describe the person you’re talking to, as in:  You’re so wonderful because you’re reading our blog!  A quick way to check if you're using “you’re” correctly is to replace it with “you are” and your sentence should still read correctly.  “Your” is a possessive adjective and is used to describe something that is yours, as in: Your postcard mailer has grammatical errors, Killface.  If you want to get tricky:  You’re probably reading this blog on your computer.  If your not sure what’s wrong with this sentence you should call you’re friends for help.
2. They’re, Their and There – “They’re” is a contraction of “they are”, so you should be able to replace “they’re” with “they are” and your sentence should still make sense.  Remember those kids who jaywalked in front of you today?  They’re going to get themselves hurt!  “Their” is a possessive adjective and is used to refer to something that belongs to them, so you might have thought about telling their parents.  “There” refers to a location (real or abstract), like over here or over there.  “There” is also used with the verb “be” (is, am, are, was, were), as in:  There was a crosswalk a little further down they could have used!
3. Its & It’s – Starting with the easier of the two, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” or less commonly “it has” or “it was”.  As above, replace “it’s” with its longer forms and see if the sentence makes sense still and if it does you’re (as in “you are”) in good shape.  It’s (as in “It is”) really quite easy!  “Its” is a possessive noun and describes something that belongs to “it”, where “it” is a previously defined object.  Remember that funny video you saw where the dog chased its tail around and around?  The dog is the previously defined object and the tail belonged to the dog.
4. Dangling Participles – No, this has nothing to do with the punch line of a raunchy joke, it’s what happens when you order your sentence in a confusing way.  Try this one actually taken from a newspaper article:  The burglar was about 30 years old, white, 5’10”, with wavy hair weighing about 150 pounds.  That’s some heavy hair!  Maybe they were trying to describe a burglar who was about 30 years old, white, stood 5’10” tall, weighed about 150 pounds and had wavy hair.  Cancel the APB on the white male with incredibly heavy hair.
5. Me and I – If you’re describing what you and someone else will be doing, when do you use “me” and when do you use “I”?  Take the other person out of the sentence and see if it still makes sense.  For example, “Bob or me will call you next week” is wrong because if you take Bob out of the sentence you’re left with “me will call you next week”.  This might have been acceptable tens of thousands of years ago but isn't not today.  Alternately, “Freddy told me and Jim that he’d send the order across tomorrow” still reads properly if you take Jim out of the sentence.

The English language is a cruel and unforgiving language full of weird rules and nuances.  Making grammatical errors in a business environment can confuse your audience, dilute your message and make you and your company look sloppy.  Being able to write and communicate effectively are so important that taking a little time to re-read what you’ve written to ensure that you’re clearly and concisely communicating your message is a worthwhile exercise.  If you find that you’re having difficulty crafting or refining your message then give us a call, we’d be glad to help.

Got something to say? Leave a comment below, we’d love to hear from you! Got a question that we can address in our blog? Contact us through our website or email me directly and we’ll put our crack team to work and let you know when we post a reply.

Steve Hartley, Managing Partner
Fering Communications Inc.
Website:www.feringcommunications.com
Email: steve.hartley@feringcommunications.com

P.S.  For something a little more risqué, check out this link.