We blog and write something at least once a day.
Yet do we really know the English language correctly?
I read a lot of blogs and one of my biggest pet peeves is finding incorrect grammar or spelling. I’m not saying I’m a scholar, I just wish we knew how to write better and correctly more often! You’re, your is one of the worst or is it worse examples. Here is a guide on how to write better – A to X How to Write Better.
A few rules I found quite interesting:
- The singular of biceps is biceps; the singular of triceps is triceps. There’s no such thing as a bicep; there’s no such thing as a tricep.
- One’s sweetheart is “hon,” not “hun,” unless one’s sweetheart is Attila (not, by the way, Atilla) or perhaps Winnie-the-Pooh (note hyphens).
- The short version of microphone is still, so far as RH is concerned,mike. Not, ick, “mic.” [2009 update: I seem to be losing this battle. Badly. 2010 update: I’ve lost. Follow the author’s lead.] Oddly enough this is one of my biggest pet peeves! Though I was sure it was always “mic” and people that wrote “mike” were just dumb. Clearly I was the one that was just dumb!
- A vice is depraved; a vise squeezes
- A smart aleck is a wise guy; a mobster is a wiseguy.
One that I don’t see on here which I often see spelled differently given the vocation we are in.
Is it worshipping or worshiping? My spell checker tells me that the latter is the correct spelling, but I have seen both ways in professional writing.
What are some that you learned?
What are some words you struggle with?
What are rules that are missing?
[Beautiful typewriter image via Lívia Cristina via Compfight cc]
Charlie says
Rules that are missing? How about the one that says we capitalize words like “English”? Sorry…couldn’t resist. 😉