The Write StuffMay 2014 Volume 10 Issue 5Errors by Professionals
I believe people who read a lot tend to be better writers than non-readers, because they regularly expose themselves to material written by professionals. No one is immune from making mistakes, however, even those of us who write for a living. Consider the following, taking note of the miscues that are italicized:
Typos
Wrong Words
Proofing Errors
What’s the takeaway? While you can learn a lot from reading professionally written material, be on the lookout for mistakes you shouldn’t emulate.
Honoring Dad Monday will mark 12 years since my beloved father died. I’m still heartbroken, but also grateful for everything he taught me. Early in my career, he said I’d probably never be content unless I was my own boss. He was right–but I didn’t act on his words until after he was gone. In response to my teenage cry of “it’s not fair,” he didn’t disagree and said I should get used to it: life isn’t fair. There was certainly nothing fair about losing my dad months before he would have turned 70, but as the classic song says, “only the good die young.” As Well As or And? Many people use as well as in place of and, but that often isn’t appropriate. Remember, less is more when it comes to writing.
A: The Sharks and Penguins, as well as the Bruins, fell one game short of moving on in the NHL playoffs.
B: The Sharks, Penguins and Bruins fell one game short of moving on in the NHL playoffs.
While “A” isn’t grammatically incorrect, “B” is better.
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