Things You Learned in Grammar School

Being a good communicator is key for any kind of success. Even if you’re not a writer, it’s important for you to have the ability to convey your thoughts in a clear, correct, and concise manner. Here’s a quick review on three of the most commonly made grammatical errors and ways to fix them, so you can become a better communicator not only to your e-commerce customers, but also to your family, friends, and colleagues: 

What’s a Pronoun?

Used to replace a noun, these linguistic devices streamline sentences to make them easier to understand. However, the misuse of pronouns can often plague a lot of written content. Oftentimes, the pronoun and the number of things it refers to do not coincide. In other words, if your noun is singular, your pronoun must be singular. If the noun is plural, however, the pronoun must also be plural. This common error can lead to reader confusion, but it’s often present in common speech. Here’s an example:

Incorrect Usage: “Everybody must bring their own lunch to the picnic.”

Correct Usage: “Everybody must bring his or her own lunch to the picnic.”

The Run-on Sentence

A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more complete sentences are joined together without any punctuation or conjunction.

Here’s an example: 

Incorrect Sentence - “Despite using commas the sentence was still incorrect.”

Correct Sentence - “Despite using commas, the sentence was still incorrect.”

The key to fixing run-ons is proper punctuation. Each grammatical situation is unique, making it key for a proper understanding of comma, colon, and semi-colon usage. Check out this article on the LearningNerd Blog for more info on proper English punctuation.

The Apostrophe

Apostrophes are used to show possession. However, apostrophes are also used to indicate contractions like can’t, won’t, shouldn’t, and it’s. The most common abuse of this is the use of an apostrophe to indicate ownership of “it.” The only appropriate apostrophe usage for the word “it” is when making the contraction of “it is.” Here’s an example:

Incorrect Usage - “It’s tail was purple and spiny.”

Correct Usage - “I said that it’s a great day for sailing.”

Remember, there’s no shame in consulting a textbook if you’re unsure. I’d recommend The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White as a communication essential. It’s a quick read and it’s packed with grammatical rules, tips, and tricks. Now, get those pencils moving! Get your message out there!