One of the most common grammatical errors I see on the web is faulty parallelism. I assume most writers aren’t even aware of the error. Faulty parallelism exists when two potentially related actions differ in structure. Let me illustrate.
Category: Writing
Difference between everyday and every day
While editing a client document last week, I came across the term “everyday”. It stuck out to me because it was being used incorrectly. Here is an example of “everyday” being used wrong: I go to the store everyday. What should be used instead is “every day”. So what’s the difference between “every day” and… Continue reading Difference between everyday and every day
You don’t always need a comma when using “and”
While recently editing a research proposal I was reminded of a comma error I frequently find myself correcting: always preceding “and” with a comma. Here was the example sentence:
How to use find and replace in Google Docs
Do you find yourself repeating the same mistakes when writing? Always leaving more spaces after your periods, or perhaps always spelling weird as wierd? The good news is that most word processing software has a tool that allows you to quickly find these errors and replace them with the click of a button. Check out… Continue reading How to use find and replace in Google Docs
The 5 writing errors I edit most often
Recently, I was asked to edit a master’s thesis, something I’ve done a few times over the last couple of years. While reviewing my roughly 1,000 edits in the thesis, I noticed that the most frequent errors fell under 5 categories, and that these 5 categories of edits often appear in other client documents. I thought I’d share them with… Continue reading The 5 writing errors I edit most often
Difference between alternate and alternative
While editing a document for a client last week, I noticed their use of “alternate”, and it prompted me to write this post. Technically, the two words don’t mean the same thing, but that’s been changing recently.
New years or new year? Which should I use?
“New years” or “new year”? Which is it? Well, in short, definitely not the first and only sometimes for the second. As the new year approaches, I’m seeing a growing number of instances of “new years”. Because that usage incorrect, I thought I’d discuss it here.
Why you shouldn’t use e.g. and etc. together
While recently editing a client document, I came across a usage similar to the following: I like citrus fruits (e.g. oranges, lemons, grapefruits, etc). I don’t like this usage. I find it redundant.
How to use “nor” in a sentence
“Nor” is a word we don’t use often. Sure, we’ve probably all heard it or read it, especially paired with “neither”. Some of us probably learned it as part of the FANBOYS mnemonic device to help us remember the coordinating conjunctions. The problem with words that fall out of favour is that we can easily forget… Continue reading How to use “nor” in a sentence
The key to boosting blog traffic: share on social media
This month marks 15 years since I started blogging. I started with the now defunct site Themestream, and shortly after it went down, I moved to Blogger. Actually, in a sense, I’ve been blogging longer than that. For 3 years prior, I was writing articles for a weekly ezine. Anyhow, over the years, I’ve learned a… Continue reading The key to boosting blog traffic: share on social media