I would add to the spelling list (thanks, WordPress):
- Knowing how to distinguish between its/it’s, your/you’re, there/they’re/their . . . and
- Knowing how to use nominative and objective pronouns (nominative = pronouns that name; objective = pronouns that receive action)
These are musts for any polished piece of writing.
What are your spelling or grammar pet peeves? Share your frustrations here!
Courtesy, as pretty much always, of Bryan A. Garner, here’s a list of 25 of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language.
- accommodate
- committee
- consensus
- definitely
- embarrass
- expedite
- grammar
- harass
- hors d’oeuvre
- innovate
- inoculate
- lieu
- millennium
- minuscule
- misspelling
- noticeable
- occurrence
- pavilion
- persevere
- playwright
- receive
- restaurateur
- separate
- supersede
- ukulele
Commit these to memory, and should you ever find yourself needing to accommodate a ukulele player who wishes to receive an inoculation from a playwright while persevering at his art in a pavilion, you’ll be spared the embarrassment of making any innovative misspellings, whether minuscule or easily noticeable.
Gerry Wilson 