1. Use “fewer” not “less”
When speaking about a subject you can count, use “fewer”.
The living room had fewer chairs than the kitchen did.
Use “less” to refer to subjects you can’t count (less air, less sand, less water).
2. Use “there are” instead of “there’s”
There’s is short for “there is” and should be followed by a singular subject.
There’s a red house down the block.
If the subject is plural, use “there are”: “there are hundreds of birds” (not “there’s hundred of birds”).
3. Use “Bob and me” not “Bob and I”
When you and another person are the objects in a sentence, use “me” to describe yourself.
Mum gave chocolate to Bob and me.
To double check, simply split the sentence into two: “Mum gave chocolate to Bob” and “Mum gave chocolate to me”.
4. Use “myself” reflexively
Use “myself” when referring to something you did to yourself.
I gave myself a haircut
When referring to yourself as the object in a sentence, use “me”: “Attending the conference were Jack, Jill, and me.”
5. Use “which” instead of “that”
When using a nonrestrictive clause, start it with “which”. Nonrestrictive clauses are phrases you can remove without ruining the point of the sentence.
I drove to Lethbridge, which is where my parents used to live.
Use “that” to start clauses that are critical to the sentence: “I drove in a care that would go only 60 km/h.”
6. Use “lose” instead of “loose”
“Lose” means to misplace.
I didn’t mean to lose my wallet.
“Loose” is the opposite of tight.
7. Use “hardly” by itself
“Hardly” is a negative word. Use it when you want to be negative.
I had hardly anything to eat today.
Using it with another negative word (e.g. “didn’t hardly”) actually makes the sentence positive.
8. Use “well” instead of “good”
If you’re discussing how successful you were at doing something, use the adverb “well”.
I did well on the test.
Use “good” as an adjective: “I did a good job on the test.”
9. Use “lie” instead of “lay”
When you want to talk about resting yourself, use “lie”.
I am going to lie down on my bed for a few minutes.
Use “lay” when you are putting something else down: lay the book on the table.
10. Use “voilà ” not “walla”.
To get someone’s attention, use the French voilà , not the bastardized versions “walla” or “walha”.
Just five more seconds. Voilà ! Perfectly roasted marshmallows.
