My top five grammar grumbles

There is nothing worse than opening an email and finding a simple error glaring at you from your computer screen. It irritates both the reader and (if they read their Sent box) the writer. If I read an error in an email newsletter it usually gets swiftly deleted. These are my top five pet-hates that I encounter regularly. If, like me, you want your correspondence to be grammatically sound, you will pass the knowledge on.

It’s versus its

• This is a common error that crops up again and again. The simple way to remember whether you need an apostrophe is to think about what you are trying to say. If you are saying ‘it is’ or ‘it has’ then you can contract it to ‘it’s’. The apostrophe indicates that letters have been removed during the contraction. For example: It’s amazing how often this mistake is made.
• ‘Its’ is a possessive pronoun used in cases where the gender of the subject cannot be determined. For example: The printer has chewed up its paper again. An apostrophe is not needed here. The best way to remember is to read out loud exactly what you want to say. Change any contractions back to the full words to make sure.

E.g. versus i.e.

• These two abbreviations constantly appear in emails and articles and are often misused. Although very similar they actually mean different things. E.g. stands for the Latin phrase ‘exempli gratia’ meaning ‘for example’. An example or list of examples of the issue at hand will follow. For example: A book has many parts, e.g. a cover, title page and spine.
• I.e. stands for the Latin phrase ‘id est’ meaning ‘that is’ or ‘in other words’. It should be followed by an explanation or clarification of what has just been said. For example: I love reading, i.e. I like nothing better than spending all day with a good book.

Then versus Than

• ‘Then’ is used when talking about time. For example: I bought a Kindle, and then I downloaded my favourite novel.
• ‘Than’ is used for comparisons. For example: My Kindle is much lighter than my book.

Loose versus lose

• If something doesn’t fit properly, it is loose. For example: The key is loose in the lock.
• Lose is used to refer to something that has been lost. For example: I always lose my keys.

There versus their versus they’re

• These three homonyms are always getting muddled up on websites and in emails. It is always worth extending the sentence in your head to find the right match. ‘There’ is used to indicate a place. For example: Look over there!
• ‘Their’ is the possessive case of they. For example: I think they’ve forgotten their books.
• ‘They’re’ is a contraction of they are. For example: They’re looking forward to the Book Fair.

Remember, every error is annoying for your reader and disrupts their reading rhythm. By eliminating any sticky grammar spots, you will have a better chance of getting your message across to your reader and not ending up in the junk pile.

Lottie has a degree in English Literature with American Studies from the University of Plymouth. She is a bookworm and blogs about recent book releases and prize-winners. Lottie started working at The PTC in February after completing a three-month internship and is enjoying living and working in London.