Download Common Errors in Writing (PowerPoint Presentation)

Common Errors in
Writing
Then or than?
 Than is used to indicate
comparison or degree: His drive
was longer than mine.
 Then is used to indicate time:
Then he putted out and won the
tournament.
Quotation Marks and Other
Punctuation
 ALL commas and periods should be
placed inside the quotation marks.
 ALL colons and semicolons should be
placed outside the quotation marks.
Quotation Marks and Other
Punctuation
 Question marks and exclamation marks
should be placed within the quotation
marks when they apply only to the
quoted material
 they should be placed outside when the
entire sentence, including the quoted
material, is a question or exclamation
Numbers: When to spell out and
when to write as numbers?
 Always spell out numbers (including
years) at the beginning of sentences.
 Within a sentence, spell the numbers
zero through ninety-nine, and write the
numbers 100 and higher by using digits.
Good or Well?
 good is an adjective. It can only modify
nouns and pronouns.
 Well is an adverb. It can only modify
verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
 I scored good on my spelling
test.(incorrect) The new car runs good.
(incorrect)
 I scored well on my spelling
test.(correct) The new car runs well.
Farther or Further?
 Use farther for physical distance
 use further for everything else
 (Newfoundland is farther than I thought)
and further to refer to quantity, time, or
degree (They progressed further on
their research).
Different from or different
than?
 The simple answer is that different from
is almost always right, and different than
is almost always wrong.
Can I or may I?
 Can implies ability: 'Can you (are you
able to) lift that heavy box
 May denotes permission: “May I (Have I
permission to) go to the washroom?'"
Bad or badly?
 We use bad (an adjective) with linking verbs
such as is, seems, feels, looks, or appears.
Example: "I feel bad that I missed the
concert."
 We use the adverb badly with action verbs.
Example: "The new car steers badly."
 I feel badly" means my sense of touch is
impaired. "He smells badly" means he can't
detect the smell of his girlfriend's perfume, but
"He smells bad" means he needs to shower
and use deodorant.
Amount or Number?
 Amount should be used to refer to
quantities that cannot be counted or
cannot be expressed in terms of a
single number. Example: "Repairing
power lines took a great amount of
work
 Number is used for quantities that
can be counted. Example: "A large
number of deer ate the corn."
All Ready or Already?
 All ready means "fully prepared."
Example: "The scouts were all ready for
the test."
 Already means "previously." Example:
"The children were already in the pool
when the guests arrived."
Affect or Effect?
 Affect is a verb meaning to
'influence
 Effect is a noun meaning 'a result
 CFCs may affect the deterioration
of the ozone layer. The effect of
that deterioration on global warming
is uncertain.
Accept or Except?
 Accept is a verb meaning "to receive" or
"to approve." Example: "I accept your
offer of the book."
 Except is a verb meaning "to leave out"
or "to exclude." Example: "He excepted
all Corvettes from his list of favorite
cars.“
 Except can also be a preposition
meaning "excluding" or "leaving out."
Example: "He liked everything on the
plate except the liver."
A lot or Alot?
A lot should be written as two
words