i need your help grammar police!

yourmomwreckedmybike

My line of work requires you to have fairly good grammar and the ladies who work with/for me clearly are just not getting it or don't care.

I am going to write up a manual for everyone so that they have no excuse to have crappy grammar.

I am having a hell of a time trying to think of examples of common grammar mistakes and simple ways to explain the correct way.

Do you have any suggestions or websites (or anything) of how i can go about this? 

AdamsMom4

Using the correct forms of "there" in written form.

That is their umbrella.

They're going on a cruise.

I put your pencil over there.

Always drives me nuts when people use it incorrectly.

AyeDavanita

While I wait for others to post something serious, here's something that I've sent to more than a few friends:

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

Shandie_725

Pluralization and use of apostrophes.

schnappycat

The incorrect use of apostrophes is my biggest beef. I've seen professional text where the author has used the possessive instead of plural. You definitely need to include a section on that!

ASmallWonder

You're taking your book outside.

It's about time its value was recognized.

This is off topic but I just had a discussion the other day about people who say 7am in the morning.  Um, a.m. IS the morning!

AbJams

Your and you're. Some of the smartest people I know still mess that up.

MomOfClaire

Use of commas in compound sentences

momof1cuteboy

A lot is two words!

broomy

Ways to remember the difference between their/there/they're:

1. "Their" is possessive; remember that an heir (which is right there in the word) will get someone's possessions.

"Whose car is that?"

"It is their car. They were the heirs of that rich guy." 

2. "There" says where. Remember "here or there" - there has the word here in it. It shows location.

"Where is my book?"

"Here. No, wait. There."

3. "They're" means they are. Just like most apostrophes, this apostrophe replaces a vowel. 

 

1ht 

jilicious

OMFG the unnecessary apostrophe. "On Monday's the bank is closed"

WHY GOD WHY

purplecrayon

When to use "___ and I" vs "___ and me"

Take the other people out of the equation.

Examples:

"Jimmy & __ are going to the park."

Taking Jimmy out of it, you wouldn't say, "Me am going to the park, " so it would be "Jimmy & I."

"Come to the park with Jimmy & __." 

Taking Jimmy out of it, you wouldn't say "Come to the park with I," so it would be "Jimmy & me."

 

 

 

yourmomwreckedmybike

AyeDavanita:

While I wait for others to post something serious, here's something that I've sent to more than a few friends:

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

 

thanks all.

Aye -- thanks! how to use an apostrophe is awesome too. 

itsmybirthday22

Oh how I hate poor grammar and spelling skills! I think you should definitely include a section on the proper use of "your" and "you're."

Also, as a journalism major in college and now in my current job, I have a lot of experience editing and a book I use for reference all the time is the AP Style book. A new volume is published every year and it includes standard grammar rules in addition to punctuation rules and modern grammar rules/phrases. Maybe you should buy a copy for your office so anyone can reference it when needed?

yourmomwreckedmybike

itsmybirthday22:

Oh how I hate poor grammar and spelling skills! I think you should definitely include a section on the proper use of "your" and "you're."

Also, as a journalism major in college and now in my current job, I have a lot of experience editing and a book I use for reference all the time is the AP Style book. A new volume is published every year and it includes standard grammar rules in addition to punctuation rules and modern grammar rules/phrases. Maybe you should buy a copy for your office so anyone can reference it when needed?

 

I will look into that book. If we worked in an office, that would work.

 

bumpuser1691848

Please make sure they know how to spell ridiculous. I have seen "rediculous" so many times.

Like PPs have said, have sections on "your" and "you're" and also "their", "there" and "they're".

Edit: I just saw another grammar mistake in another post. People, there is not a "S" at the end of anyway.

yourmomwreckedmybike

these ladies do have Word, so it fixes a large majority of their mistakes with spell check. 

Part of the issue is that we have to write up verbatim transcripts, so there are tons of incomplete sentences and run on sentences, and so unless you know your grammar, you don't notice the grammar mistakes over the sentence structure problems which we cannot control.

I'm looking more for ideas on how to explain proper use of apostrophes, commonly confused words (all ready, already, etc)

yourmomwreckedmybike

broomhead78:

Ways to remember the difference between their/there/they're:

1. "Their" is possessive; remember that an heir (which is right there in the word) will get someone's possessions.

"Whose car is that?"

"It is their car. They were the heirs of that rich guy." 

2. "There" says where. Remember "here or there" - there has the word here in it. It shows location.

"Where is my book?"

"Here. No, wait. There."

3. "They're" means they are. Just like most apostrophes, this apostrophe replaces a vowel. 

 

1ht 

 

this helps a lot, thanks.