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Writing Mistakes Even Smart People Make
Excelle
Constipated Clauses
Reporting on the feats and foibles of the Red Sox, a writer for South Coast Today notes: “It goes without saying that these exploits take a tremendous amount of skill.”
If it “goes without saying” then don’t say it. If it doesn’t, in fact, go without saying, then don’t say it does.
“Obviously, the sky is blue.” Putting the “obviously” doesn’t suddenly make the statement insightful.
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cleifer
8 days ago
2 comments
Please put these articles on one page so that the information is easily printed.
quick2hurry
about 1 month ago
4 comments
Here is grammer killer that was critically overlooked (and overused). Do not end a sentence with a preposition! Is this still in effect?
katpooh9
about 1 month ago
8 comments
There's another constipated clause that I can't stand. I cringe whenever I hear it. It's "not to mention...". And, of course, they use that for the purpose of mentioning what they're about to mention! It's overused, abused and ANNOYING! Why can't they say "as well as" or simply "and"?
I also get tired of "every walk of life" or "all walks of life". Surely somebody could come up with something more original that has the same meaning.
And those who are trying too hard to sound intellectual or lawyeristic when they say: "I submit to you". Aww, come on! Do you really have to use that phrase?
sarahevershed
about 1 month ago
4 comments
I totally agree!
knpendleton
about 1 month ago
2 comments
I have to ask. #10: “I have sold many products, i.e. washing machines.”
I've been guilty of mixing up "i.e." and "e.g." in the past, but in this example, I'm having a hard time seeing it as incorrect. If "i.e." is interchangeable with "namely," wouldn't it make perfect sense to say "I have sold many products, namely washing machines"? It specifies the product.
LadyAngora
about 1 month ago
28 comments
NormalP: mollymc is right, you could say: "On which date would you like to meet?" Option #2 is: "We need to have a meeting, what time would work best?"
As for the quotation marks before punctuation, rock on! I hate it when people incorrectly include punctuation inside quotation marks. Sometimes it's correct, other times not so much...
Also, what about using it's, its, and its' properly? I see that one messed up all the time.
bonnieppi
about 1 month ago
32 comments
These were great!
BTW, the "." that followed "oxford comma" punctuates the sentence, not the phrase and was correctly placed behind the quote mark.
I alway have to hesitate when using affect or effect!
mollymc
about 1 month ago
4 comments
I THINK it's, "On which date would you like to meet." I hate writing business emails for this exact reason. Things I would just say naturally have to be re-written over and over in my emails!
Nikki_Simon
about 1 month ago
2 comments
WRITING MISTAKE #12: At the end of the third paragraph, the "." which follows "oxford comma" belongs inside the close quote. This is a biggy.
msmaobird
about 1 month ago
4 comments
I enjoyed this article very much. It seems that so few people have respect for the written language (or spoken for that matter) and its rules. I really appreciate it when the importance of proper grammar is featured. This is a great reminder to young and old alike.
NormaP
about 1 month ago
8 comments
how about ending a sentence with a preposition? "What date do you want to meet on?" is incorrect. I am never quite sure how to correct it so I ended up re-writing a whole paragraph so that I don't feel the need to ask that question.
DeeW
about 1 month ago
14 comments
This was great - thank you.
Miss_Mary_Kay
about 1 month ago
2062 comments
I enjoyed this greatly. Thank you for the timely article.
changinglifestyles
about 1 month ago
2474 comments
This article should be read by all. Seeing "could of" in an email, letter, or anything written makes me cringe. I have seen many of the mistakes shown in the article. I have heard teachers incorrectly make some of these mistakes. It makes one wonder what is being taught in schools and universities these days. Thank you so much for the article.
kbtordai
about 1 month ago
708 comments
I am feeling dumb right now. Thanks for the article and the useful tips!