technical writing
Table of of Contents
TableContents
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................3
SPELLING MISTAKES
....................................................................................4
USAGE MISTAKES
.......................................................................................15
GRAMMAR MISTAKES
................................................................................31
PUNCTUATION MISTAKES
..........................................................................40
100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid –
2
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
T
his book is for writers who want to avoid the most common errors of written English without spending a lot of time looking things up.
The list of 100 spelling, usage, and punctuation errors does not include every possible mistake, but it covers a great many "howlers" that can put off potential customers and clients.
A few entries feature a spelling or usage that differs in British and American English, or an expression or rule on which thoughtful people disagree. These entries are marked with an asterisk (*).
Grammar terms and grammatical explanations have been kept to a minimum, but it is expected that the reader will be familiar with the English parts of speech and such basic terms as subject, object, clause, and phrase. The most essential pair of tools for every writer is a good dictionary and a respected style guide. To avoid the most commonly-encountered writing errors, however, the writer in a hurry can save time by looking here first.
100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid –
3
Spelling Mistakes
SPELLING MISTAKES
SPELLINGMISTAKES
1. accept / except
INCORRECT: Please except this gift.
CORRECT: Please accept this gift.
Except, as a verb, means to exclude or leave out. As a preposition it means "with the exception of." Accept means "to receive willingly." For example: We visited every landmark except the Eiffel
TableContents
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................3
SPELLING MISTAKES
....................................................................................4
USAGE MISTAKES
.......................................................................................15
GRAMMAR MISTAKES
................................................................................31
PUNCTUATION MISTAKES
..........................................................................40
100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid –
2
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
T
his book is for writers who want to avoid the most common errors of written English without spending a lot of time looking things up.
The list of 100 spelling, usage, and punctuation errors does not include every possible mistake, but it covers a great many "howlers" that can put off potential customers and clients.
A few entries feature a spelling or usage that differs in British and American English, or an expression or rule on which thoughtful people disagree. These entries are marked with an asterisk (*).
Grammar terms and grammatical explanations have been kept to a minimum, but it is expected that the reader will be familiar with the English parts of speech and such basic terms as subject, object, clause, and phrase. The most essential pair of tools for every writer is a good dictionary and a respected style guide. To avoid the most commonly-encountered writing errors, however, the writer in a hurry can save time by looking here first.
100 Writing Mistakes to Avoid –
3
Spelling Mistakes
SPELLING MISTAKES
SPELLINGMISTAKES
1. accept / except
INCORRECT: Please except this gift.
CORRECT: Please accept this gift.
Except, as a verb, means to exclude or leave out. As a preposition it means "with the exception of." Accept means "to receive willingly." For example: We visited every landmark except the Eiffel