Grammar Cracker

I'm not perfect (as a friend pointed out today, I spelled termination incorrectly on a client contract...luckily it cost me a mere $10Starbucks Gift Card instead of costing me a client or an opportunity). I do, however, think that grammatical errors are hilarious, in fact - they crack me up. Thus, today's title: Grammar Cracker - instead of graham cracker, get it? Below are some of the most common grammatical errors. This will take you just a few moments to peruse and hopefully the humor will help you retain the information so you don't make these same mistakes:

Your vs You're...use You're when you could be using the two words You Are. ie: You're the best! Your coat is really cute! (You are coat is really cute wouldn't make any sense)

Too Many Commas...I'm totally guilty of this (I think it's because I sing - and breathing is super important to me?) - but do NOT use a comma each and every time you take a breath. If something can stand alone as a sentence, let it. Use a period.

They're...Their...There...you can do what you want, but this one is the funniest to me. If you use They're - it should be used to replace the two words They Are. Their shows something belonging to someone. There identifies a place or position. This is funny: I was wondering if you were going they're after work tonight? (umm.....you were wondering if I was going they are after work tonight? what???????)

Mis-use of Semi Colons...yikes, I'm guilty of this too! Use semi-colons sparingly - think of a semi-colon like salt (now I'll hear my mother's voice every time I go to use one...great...lol) a semi-colon should be used to separate two independent clauses or to separate list items.

Its vs It's...same thing like your and you're - they are not the same thing. It's is the combination of It and Is. ie: It's cold outside.

Lack of proof reading...It's a good idea to proof read your own documents, but sometimes you are too close to them. For an important document (proposal for a client, client contract, newsletter, grant request, etc...) you should have an additional two sets of eyes on things. The first set of eyes should be someone totally naive to the process and the second should be someone slightly familiar. The first person will likely catch the grammatical inconsistencies and errors where as the second person will let you know if something is confusing or inaccurate.

You may be thinking - 'I've read her blogs, who is she to talk?' and I guess you can go there if you wish. I look at blogging a bit differently than most. Blogging is therapeutic, recreational, and fun for me. I think of my blog in the same way I think of sitting down for coffee with an old friend. I kick off my shoes, sit back, and enjoy myself. if I enjoy a scone and there are crumbs on my shirt, that's ok too. It takes all the joy out of the conversation if you are self conscious. If you choose every word as cautiously as you choose words in a proposal or business contract, coffee shops would be silent. We would all be too worried about our reputation to be ourselves. For what it's worth - this is MY opinion on blogging. My thoughts flow through my finger tips onto the keyboard and when I'm done, I click publish and I don't look back. If I were blogging for a client, totally different...but this is just me...I'm honest, transparent, and yes...my shoes are off