© Copyright ResourcefulManager
You probably became a manager because you were good at your job and good with people. Right?
But you probably never said, “I should become a manager because I’m a great writer.”
Unfortunately, writing is a part of just about any job, especially if you’re a manager. You have to write emails, memos, reports, reviews and so on.
And while you don’t have to be Mark Twain or J.K. Rowling, knowing how to write a complete sentence that makes sense is important in the business world.
Reason: Bad writing makes it look as if you lack intelligence!
And while you might get away with using the wrong word in a conversation because once it’s spoken it’s gone, that’s not the way it works with the written word. It’s there for everyone to pick apart – forever.
Take my advice: Reread and spellcheck everything you write. It can save your reputation.
To help you, check your work for these 17 mistakes that can make you look foolish and unprofessional!
1) Affect vs. Effect
This is a biggie a lot of people struggle to grasp. Hence, it’s No. 1 on the list.
With affect and effect, you either get it right all the time, or you struggle with it most of the time.
To put it simply, “affect” is generally a verb that means to influence, and “effect” is generally a noun that means a result.
Examples of correct usage:
- “Petting a cat or a dog affects blood pressure in a positive manner.”
- “A good night’s sleep has a positive effect on your day.”
2) Then vs. Than
The confusion over then vs. than typically comes from not thinking, because the distinction is an easy one.
“Then” is time-related, and “than” is comparison-related.
Examples of correct usage:
- “The little girl stuck out her bottom lip, then started to cry.”
- “Emma is taller than her mother and father.”
3) Your vs. You’re
While this one is a bit of a no-brainer, very often the brain thinks one thing and your fingers type another.
But for clarity’s sake, “your” is a possessive pronoun, and “you’re” is a contraction of “you are.”
Examples of correct usage:
- “Let’s take your car on vacation.”
- “You’re a good writer.”
If this is a mistake you make often, do a search for it once you’re finished writing.
4) Its vs. It’s
Just like No. 3, its vs. it’s is often a case of your fingers going faster than your brain.
“Its” is a possessive pronoun and “it’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.”
Examples of correct usage:
- “My computer has a mind of its own.”
- “It’s a beautiful day.”
An easy way to distinguish between the two: Read the sentence and replace the reference with “it is.” If it sounds weird, the correct word choice is “its.”
Again, if you know this is a problem, do a search for “its” and “it’s” after you’re done writing.
5) Their vs. They’re vs. There
Here’s a triple whammy: their, they’re, there.
“Their” is a possessive pronoun, “they’re” is a contraction of “they are” and “there” is an adverb specifying place.
Examples of correct usage:
- “My parents are leaving their dog with us while they’re on vacation.”
- “Put the package down over there.”
6) Whose vs. Who’s
Here we go again. “Whose” is the possessive form of who or which, and “who’s” is a contraction of “who is” or “who has.”
If you’re questioning which one is the correct choice, replace it with “who is” or “who has.” If it sounds weird, then the word you want is whose.
Examples of correct usage:
“Who’s that girl with Ted?”
“Whose car is this?”
7) To vs. Too vs. Two
Getting right down to it, “to” is used as a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb. “Too,” on the other hand means “in addition” or it can refer to “excess or degree.” And, of course, “two” is a number.
Examples of correct usage:
- “She used to live down the street from me.” Or “Let’s go to the mall.”
- “Hazel went to the mall, too.” Or “He’s too funny.”
- “The little boy has two pet goldfish.”
8) Loose vs. Lose
“Loose” is an adjective that means the opposite of tight.
“Lose” is a verb that means to suffer a loss.
I hate to admit it, but for years I had to look this one up, but it has finally sunk in!
Here’s how I remember it: Lose the extra “o.”
Examples of correct usage:
- “The little boy has two loose teeth.”
- “I lose my cell phone all the time.”
9) Lie vs. Lay
Now here’s a doozy that really confuses people! If you’re one of them, let me help you out.
“Lie” is a verb that means to recline. It can’t have a direct object.
The verb “lay” means to put or place someone or something, and it must have a direct object.
Examples of correct usage:
- “I find it relaxing to lie on the beach.”
- “Lay that mirror down gently.”
Just be careful, the past tense of lie (to recline) is “lay.” And the past tense of lay (to put or place something) is “laid.”
So it’s lay, laid, laying, laid, and lie, lay, lying, lain.
10) I vs. Me
This is another one that causes people to stop and scratch their heads!
But instead of getting into the whole grammatical reason of when you use “I” vs. “me,” here’s a little trick to try.
Say the sentence with just “I” or “me.”
For example, “The teacher told Tom and (I or me) to go to the office.” Remove Tom from the sentence and try: “The teacher told I to go to the office” and “The teacher told me to go to the office.”
It can’t be “I” because it doesn’t make sense. So it has to be “The teacher told Tom and me to go to the office.”
See how easy that was!
Examples of correct usage:
- “Steve and I are going to dinner.”
- “Jen is taking Steve and me to dinner.”
11) Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure
A lot of people argue that these three words are interchangeable. And if you look hard enough, you’ll probably find that.
But if you use these definitions to distinguish them, you’ll make your usage clearer:
“Assure” is to make sure or to give confidence.
“Ensure” means to guarantee.
And “insure” means to protect financially.
Examples of correct usage:
- “I assure you I had nothing to do with the murder.”
- “Guards were posted all around the house to ensure no one contaminated the crime scene.”
- “It’s rumored that Jennifer Lopez insured her famous derriere for $27 million.”
12) Imply vs. Infer
These two words are often confused for each other.
But they have two totally different meanings.
To “imply” is to suggest the truth or existence of something.
To “infer” is to deduce something from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements.
You can also look at it as the speaker implies something, and the listener infers something.
Examples of correct usage:
- “I didn’t mean to imply I don’t like you, just that I find you arrogant.”
- “Julie’s parents were able to infer by her demeanor that she didn’t get the job.”
13) i.e. vs. e.g.
These two abbreviations do not mean the same thing; therefore, you can’t use them interchangeably.
While they are both Latin abbreviations, “i.e.” stands for “id est” which means “that is.” It’s not used for listing examples. You use it when you need or want to clarify something. Think of it as “in other words.”
The Latin term for “e.g.” is “exempli gratia,” which means “for example.”
If you struggle to remember which abbreviation is used, here are two tricks for you: “i.e” can stand for “I Explain” or “In Essence,” and “e.g.” sounds like “EGg xample.”
Examples of correct usage:
- “My favorite dog breed is Labradoodles, i.e., a cross between a Labrador retriever and a poodle.”
- “I love Mexican food, e.g., tacos, burritos, enchiladas.”
14) A lot vs. Alot vs. Allot
One of these is not actually a word that can be found in the dictionary. Can you guess which one it is?
It’s “alot.” Spelled correctly, “a lot” is two separate words, like a camera, a cat, a book, a house. “A” is the article and “lot” is a noun that means a large number or amount. You can think of it this way, you’d never say acamera, acat, abook or ahouse, so you can’t say “alot.”
However, “allot” is a word. And while it sounds the same and has a similar spelling, it’s a verb that means to give or assign as one’s share.
Examples of correct usage:
- “My daughter reads a lot of books.”
- “We will allot 30 minutes for each speaker.”
15) Could’ve, Should’ve, Would’ve
All three are legitimate contractions with the word “have,” but be careful.
When people say could’ve, should’ve and would’ve, it often sounds like “could of,” “should of” and “would of,” which are grammatically incorrect.
Why? Because “of” is a preposition and can’t be used as part of a verb.
Examples of correct usage:
- “I could’ve gone to bed earlier, but I didn’t.”
- “I should’ve gone to bed earlier, because now I’m falling asleep at work.”
- “If I would’ve gone to bed earlier, I wouldn’t be so sleepy.”
16) Compliment vs. Complement
While these two sound very similar, they don’t mean the same thing.
Compliment is an expression of praise.
Complement is when something enhances something else.
So how can you keep it straight in your head?
Try these tricks: I like to give compliments. The opposite of a compliment is an insult.
To complement something is to complete it.
Examples of correct usage:
- “Please give the chef my compliments on such an amazing meal.”
- “That shirt complements your eyes.”
17) Principle vs. Principal
Here’s another case of they sound similar, but mean different things.
“Principle” is a standard, rule or law and is always a noun.
“Principal” as an adjective means main or key, and as a noun it means head or chief.
One way to keep the two straight, is “The principal of my school is my pal.”
And since principle is a standard, rule or law, none of them can be your pal.
Examples of correct usage:
- “Mrs. Cummings is the principal at my school.”
- “His principal complaint was a headache.”
- “It’s goes against my principles to lie.”
By no means is this an exhaustive list of mistakes people make that cause them to seem unprofessional. So, add your own pet peeves or observations in the comments box below.
A Handy Guide You Can Download
Want a handy list of words many managers regularly misuse? Download this PDF and keep it by your desk. It includes most of the mistakes listed in this blog post – plus, others that probably give you trouble.
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Where I work it seems the most misused word is “myself” which people use instead of “me.”
I hear that from time to time myself.
These ones drives me nuts! I don’t hear it at work as much as I hear it in retail businesses.
I work in sales and marketing. I hear, “Give it to Patty or myself ” all of the time. Please do an article on the proper usage and I’ll forward the link to my department.
Yes!! So annoying. Most are supervisors / managers. I don’t know why that bugs me the most. Also, the younger generation is pronouncing words with the letter “t” as if it the “t” was silent.
One of peeves is:
Advice vs. Advise
From Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/help/faq/language/d56.html)
What is the difference between advice and advise? The first is a noun, the second a verb. Advice is a noun generally meaning ‘an opinion about what could or should be done in a situation or about a problem; counsel given’ as is “You never take my advice!” Advise is a verb meaning ‘to offer advice to; to counsel’ as in “We advise you to unplug the appliance before cleaning it.” If you have trouble remembering which is which, think of the pronunciation: the verb has the z sound at the end, but you would not pronounce a word ending in -ice as -ize.
That’s a good one, John!
I loved this! What easy ways of understanding how to use these words.
Thanks! I’m so glad you like it! Nowadays, most of us have so much going on, we need little tips and tricks to help us remember things!
Thank you for this article. Most of my mistakes do seem to happen when my fingers are moving faster than my brain!
I’ve wondered about usage of could/would and can/will.
When asking for assistance with a project, which word(s) are proper usage? When I’ve asked “Could you please…?” I’ve occasionally had replies of “I can but will I?”
Wow that’s a good one Jo Anne.
I spent some time looking into this and found a bunch of information – some of it very confusing. But here’s my take on it:
“Can you please … ?” is asking if you have the ability to do something. “Could you please … ?” is asking if it’s possible you could do something and if you have the ability to do it. So which one is right?
I would ask “Will you please … ?” and bypass the whole debate! Sorry.
Here’s a little more info on “will/can,” and “could/would.”
“Will” and “can” are both auxiliary verbs – a verb used in forming the tenses, moods and voices of other verbs. But they differ in use and application. “Will” is the future form of “to be.” “Can” is used to mean “ability” and is the present tense form.
As far as “could” and “would” go, “could” indicates possibility and ability. “Would” indicates definiteness and desire.
So maybe changing the way you ask your question to “Will you” will keep those occasional replies of “I can but will I?” quiet.
Hope this helps!
Two things that show ignorance to me:
1. Using ‘seen’ for the past tense of ‘saw’ as in ‘I seen the picture’ rather than ‘I saw the picture”
2. Using ‘these’ in place of ‘this’ as in ‘these ones’ rather than ‘this one’ or ‘those’
Rebecca, I completely agree! Both of your examples make my skin crawl!
These rake on the nerves; like fingernails on a blackboard with me:
These ones
Those ones
Anyways
These ones drives me nuts! I don’t hear it at work as much as I hear it in retail businesses.
Mine is the misuse of the contraction for “would have”. It should be “would’ve” but I often see it as “would of”. Too many quotation marks?
I agree Steve. That’s why it’s #15 on my list.
Great article. What I have heard too frequently – other than those mentioned in the article and comments – are “irregardless” and “wrecking havoc.” The correct word is “regardless” – “irregardless” is not a word. And you can’t “wreck” havoc, you can only “wreak” it, i.e. inflict it.
Thanks! I almost included irregardless, but had to make the cut off at some point. Just when I thought I was done, another one would pop up in my head and then another! But “wreck” and “wreak” havoc is a good one I didn’t think of. Thanks for adding it to the list.
You’re right; an exercise like this could go on and on and on. I just thought of some others that often get confused – empathy and sympathy, and jam and jamb. 🙂
Two more good ones, thanks!
Allude: suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.
Elude: evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way.
That’s another good one, Tom. Thanks for adding it to the list!
Yikes! I just thought of a couple more: denotation and connotation, and flammable and inflammable. You have initiated a ruminating process that will linger for days . . . 🙂
I have, but isn’t sharing fun? I love seeing all the other issues people come up with that I didn’t cover!
Thanks! I pride myself on being a good writer, but I learned something today with example 13 and 16.
One of my pet peeves is people mixing up “that”, “who”, “which”, and “that which”. I will often see something like “I am looking for someone that can meet deadlines”. In this case, “that” should be “who”. And “I want to travel to a place which is warm”, where “which” should be “that”. I don’t know the exact rule on how to get people to remember to do this correctly, but must have learned it at some point, and I cringe every time I see these used incorrectly.
Thanks for adding to the list!
I don’t know any cute little tricks for remembering when to use who, that or which. I just know that “which” refers to things, “who” refers to people, and “that” normally refers to things, but it may refer to a class.
This is another one of my pet peeves, too. I was going to include it, but like I said earlier, I felt I had to cut myself off at some point or I’d never finish writing the post.
Hi Renee,
Thank you for these valuable tips. It’s almost like having a beautiful smile with spinach in your teeth :(. Allow me to share two of my peeves:
1. Between, to. Persons say between 15 to 20, instead of between 15 and 20
2. Comprises of Persons say the list comprises of 42 names, instead of the list
comprises 42 names
Regards
Andrea
Thanks Andrea for sharing! They are two good peeves.
The incorrect use of ‘myself’ wins hands down where I work. I think people want to believe it makes them appear more sophisticated. A close second is the incorrect use of ‘border’ instead of ‘state line’ or ‘county line’ or ‘city limit’, etc. A border defines a geographical boundary between countries, but even dictionaries are now accepting this incorrect usage. Also, most people in the media don’t know the difference between a burglary and a robbery. It is often said on the news that a house was ‘robbed’. An inanimate object cannot be robbed. It can be burglarized, vandalized, or defaced, but not robbed. A person can be robbed.
Jim, These are all great examples. Thanks for adding them to the list!
Another common example of misuse involves led and lead:
I led the troops into battle. She led the project team.
We lead by example.
Many people don’t know the difference between the two words.
That’s another good one. Thanks Jim!
Wow! Lot’s of comments on this vine. Do I hear “50 Dumb Writing Mistakes…”
Mine may be like number one, but it’s Accept, Except. I need help with these.
I’m sure we could easily come up with 50, if not more!
As far as accept and except go:
Accept is a verb that means to receive.
Except can be a preposition, conjunction and a verb, and it means to exclude, leave out, or be outside of a group/set.
Hope that helps.
Personal vs. personnel
Moral vs. morale
Roll vs. role
#1 Pet peeve–using an apostrophe “s” for plural nouns. It is everywhere you look! For example: “She went to many store’s to shop.” Even typing that felt like nails on a chalkboard.
They are all great ones, especially using apostrophe “s” for plural nouns!
And some of the things that sound wrong to me are differences between American and (my) British English So I have to get used to “I’ll write you” (no “to”); toward (no final s); different than (not from) and “gotten.” Even some of the punctuation rules are a little different! So it’s one set of rules and idiom for writing home and one for my work here. Having said that what makes me cringe is the the following response to “How are you?’ ….”I’m doing good.” As a Volunteer Coordinator at a shelter that is occasionally true (!) but mostly they mean “well.” Adverbs seem to be disappearing very quickly in favor of the extended use of adjectives: how sad.
This is SO good. Thank you!!!!!
I love this! Another one I see QUITE often is quiet versus quite.
Thanks for sharing!
Love this article. Here’s my question:
For a column heading, would it be “Affected Department” or “Effected Department”?
Not completely sure how you are using it, but it would appear to be Affected Department in this case.
Thanks! We’re having a fun debate on this one in the office. You tipped the balance in my favor!
I agree- Effect is a noun such as special effect.
My big pet peeve is when people don’t know how to use “loss” and “lost” correctly. I see a lot of times on social media people will write:
” I am sorry for your lost! RIP”
This burns me up so badly!!!!
Another one is when people don’t know how to add the “ly” to their sentences. They will write:
“This burns me up so bad”
Just a few of mine!
My mother is an English teacher so she always corrected me growing up. Now it’s engrained 🙂
Those drive me nuts, too!
Please add Idea and ideal. They are not interchangeable.
This was fun to read — the one I was not aware of was the use of i.e. (I always thought that meant for example).
A pet peeve — commensurate vs. commiserate. Working in HR, we post jobs that state salary is “commensurate with experience”. I cannot tell you how many people in my organization verbally say that salary will be “commiserate with experience”. Ummm, no. This concept goes for speaking, as well as writing.
How about capitol vs. capital as another one.
Who versus whom
An error I see frequently is the misuse of respectively and respectfully. I have seen others sign off from a correspondence using respectively.
Respectively is used to specify the order of a sequence, and respectfully is intended to express “with respect”.
For example:
Tom and Jerry are wearing red and blue shirts, respectively. This describes Tom as wearing a red shirt and Jerry wearing blue shirt.