Confused Words
Beware of confusing words. To, too, and two; they're, their, and there; we're and were (and for some reason, where); threw and through; your and you're, (and PLEASE DON'T use "ur"--it's lazy and irritating)...then and than... This is not an exhaustive list. There is a link at the end of the chapter that will help you if you let it.
1. He fed the milk to the two kittens, and then let the mother cat have some too.
2. They're going to move their cars over there.
3. We're going to the part of the woods where the wolves were re-introduced into the wild.
4. The little boy threw the ball in the wrong direction, and it crashed through the plate glass window.
5. Stop! You're going to break your neck!
6. If you don't go after her, then you're dumber than you look.
Also, for some reason, I'm seeing "for all intensive purposes" being written in place of "for all intents and purposes." This leads me to think a lot more children have hearing problems than are being diagnosed.
Objects of the Verb
It really drives me up the wall when I read something like this: She had to get she and her daughter to safety. Seriously? Did you pay attention in English 101? A better way to write that sentence would be: She had to get her daughter and herself to safety. Or: She had to get herself and her daughter to safety. Or even: She had to get her daughter to safety.
Honestly, have you ever heard someone say "I have to get she." or "I want to hug he." or any number of verbs with the object she, he, or they? When you heard it, did it make sense? If saying just the verb and the object doesn't make sense, then the whole sentence will sound ridiculous. Try it out before you write it, and you'll save yourself a lot of editing later (if you edit or proofread at all).
Proofreading
If you're serious about being a writer, proofreading is your friend, and so is editing. Proofreading takes care of typos, confused words, and missed punctuation. Editing gets rid of extraneous passages that are not essential to the story.
These are two tools that can make the difference between an excellent piece of writing and a horrible piece of trash.
Links
http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/conford.html
http://www.writingcentre.uottawa.ca/hypergrammar/objcompl.html
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/directobject.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/auxiliary.htm
http://www.grammarly.com/handbook/
Homophones
© 2004 Tawn Hoffman, All rights reserved.
Hand, write something!
This is not right!
I cannot bear,
To see bare pages,
Simply lying there!
They're just so empty,
No words flowing through,
You threw them away!
Now what are we to do?
