To offer some grammar tips to anyone who might want them?

[UnaCorda]

I sincerely hope this doesn't come across as either rude or patronising - it genuinely isn't meant to. It's also not intended as a pedants' thread.

I just thought it might be useful to list a few common mistakes, with an explanation, so that anyone who isn't very confident with their written English might be able to correct errors which, for example, could perhaps count against them in a job application or when used in a professional context.

I'll start with three:

1. "Your" shows that what you're referring to (probably a person or object) belongs to whoever "you" is in the sentence; for example, "Your brother showed me your book". If you mean "you are" you need to write "you're".

2. "Non" is not a word on its own - it is negating something, such as in "non-stick" or "non-committal". ("None-stick" would be incorrect, as would "non of them".) "None" means there aren't any. "How many cakes are left?" "Sorry - none." Or, "How many of the children finished the test?" "None of them."

3. "Alot" is not a word and the same goes for "abit", "infront", "incase" and "inbetween". Instead use "a lot", etc., just like "a little".

Hope I haven't made any mistakes myself...

She's busy googling Puffin.

I enjoy reading about the English language. Words fascinate me. Their meanings and etymology are so informative. (Deadline and tenterhooks are particular favourites!)

Easy reminders about how to get things right can be helpful. Someone who doesn't post may be grateful.

I have spelling reminders: necessary is spelt with one c and two s or one coffee, two sugars! I always used to get that wrong.

My Grandpa taught me the difference between can and may. I used to ask "can I have some cake?" - he'd reply yes, but do nothing. I soon realised I needed to ask "may I have some cake?"

I'm using that trick on my 2 DC atm.

An apostrophe can be used to:

• indicate a contracted form of a word:

Monday's my favourite day. (Contraction of is)

• indicate possession or belonging in some way:

Monday's child is fair of face. (The child of Monday). It's not used for plurals: I hate Mondays.

• listened and lots of spaces missed out, no idea why.

@Ces6

"Me neither". Neither is used to agree with a negative statement.

Although you'd say, "I don't, either", not "I don't, neither"...

@starfishmummy

Hope I haven't made any mistakes myself...

That is very sloppy writing. I do believe that should be "I hope that I have not made any mistakes myself"

HTH

It's informal.

Also if everyone could learn how to use a semi colon before using one that would be great. Not using one at all is fine, but using one incorrectly is really annoying.

Use to separate two clauses that are related but could also stand alone as sentences (semi colon could be replaced by a full stop). Alternatively, semi colon can be used to separate parts of a list if commas are also used in the list.

Ces6 said "a negative statement", not "a negative verb form".
I imagine from reading her posts she knows the difference and doesn't need to have an error she didn't make corrected.

@MorningManiacMusic - no, I said people often get it wrong!

They're not interchangeable at all, and it's nothing to do with formality.

The example I gave is an example of incorrect usage. I always struggle to explain why without getting into formal grammar terminology, which isn't very helpful to students.

I wish people would learn how to write compounds correctly.

No, Sarah, honest it's not, not in your example. Third conditional sentences can take could/may/might have + pp without any change in the meaning. They can't take can though.

The thread will turn into a tedious "oh I saw Chester draws ha ha ha on my FB selling page" soon enough anyway. The OP is perhaps still googling the reason why that particular error is made, to come and wow us.

Not sure why that would require googling - it's just because "chest of drawers" sounds like "chester draws" surely? But people say it sloppily, so "chest of" becomes "chester", and "draws" is easier to spell than "drawers". Voila - chester draws.

I find this thread interesting.

I have to say misuse of apostrophes is my personal (irrational) bugbear. The very worst being the use of a singular (rather than plural) and with an errant apostrophe - so for example “lots of mummy’s like having a break”.

For apostrophes the best tip is to remember the apostrophe is usually describing something that belongs to the subject (John’s book) or replacing a letter. So for “what is” it would be what’s- the apostrophe replacing the letter ‘i’.

Agree on the ‘myself’ thing too. I think sometimes people can think ‘and me’ / ‘or me’ sounds a bit clunky so use myself instead. Best tip is to imagine the other person wasn’t included - would the sentence still make sense? ‘Myself and John went to the shop’ clearly doesn’t work as you wouldn’t say ‘myself went to the shop’.

PP that mentioned the ‘will/shall thing’ - my DH is Irish and says ‘will I’ instead of ‘shall I’ - e.g. ‘will I leave this out or put it away?’ Took some getting used to but all his family say it too- very common usage in Ireland.

I was always taught that you say ‘shall’ only for the first person (singular or plural). So ‘I shall’ or ‘we shall’ is fine, but not ‘you shall’ or ‘they shall.’

Not sure if that’s correct!

Apostrophes are a whole different ballgame.

As PP have said, contractions like can't/ won't/ shouldn't/ could've/ would've ( which is where the dreaded could of/ would of comes from as it sounds the same in speech).

This is merely the apostrophe showing a letter is missing. It is also used at the beginning of words too 'til (until) 'cause (because).

Apostrophes also show possession, like PP said. 'Summer's sweet sounds'/ The road's uneven surface' ( It doesn't need to be a person).

It gets complicated when there's a plural.

The girl's money ( one girl with money)
The girls's money ( two or more girls who have pooled their money).

@iklboo, but of course!

I posted supporting you but you were very sharp demanding explanations- I presumed you would provide the explanations. You do come across as very Miss Jean Brodie!

Sorry! And I don't have the Morningside accent...

Better OP?

Oh much.

The girl's money ( one girl with money)
The girls's money ( two or more girls who have pooled their money).

It’s girls’ money - for two or more girls

Morningside accent? I wonder if you live near me OP? I love that book.

And that's why I love you @starfishmummy

No, Sarah, honest it's not, not in your example. Third conditional sentences can take could/may/might have + pp without any change in the meaning. They can't take can though.

Ok, I admit, if you want to assume the finishing of the job and the feeling better are unrelated, you could support that (and that's my fault for a bad example).

But I am talking about the situation where you have already referred to an event that has happened in the past, when you must use 'might' to indicate that any different outcome is now counterfactual or hypothetical, not possible.

'May' is for possible outcomes; might is for hypotheticals.

I've never figured out how to explain it well to students without using those terms, though, which they often find a bit technical. If anyone could help, I'd appreciate it.

Actually LovingLola both are acceptable: girls' and girls's. Girls's was the traditional way and girls' was brought in as many thought it looked clumsy.

The girls's money ( two or more girls who have pooled their money).

I hope this is a typo!

A better example would be 'If my daughter had eaten her dinner before going to bed, she may have enjoyed it.'

(I have just put DD to bed!)