What are your most common mistakes?

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Puddle Jumper

Do you have any mistakes you make more often than you'd like when writing? If so what are they?

For me, I have a horrible habit of always writing "whose" even when it should be "who's." I catch though when I reread what I wrote.
 

SeanDSchaffer

My most common mistake is Capitalizing when I shouldn't and not capitalizing when i should.

I have a major problem with words like 'king' or 'captain,' because I've been taught that in certain places, those words should be capitalized and in certain places they shouldn't be.

My problem is, I don't know the difference.

In fact, I plan on posting a thread on this very subject, as I'm pretty darned sure I'm not the only writer in the world who has this problem.
 

Maryn

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I have a pet peeve about mistakes with it's being used as a possessive, which is always and unarguably wrong. It's is only a contraction for it is or it has.

Which doesn't stop me from using it as a possessive now and then. One of the final polish things I do before submitting a manuscript is check every appearance of it's to make sure it's right.

Maryn, ditz
 

Cly

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I also have the problem with capitalising..damnit. Hmm what else, oh and I use too many full stops...to give a piece a pause...which is not good. I do not use semicolons when I should...
 

Puddle Jumper

SeanDSchaffer said:
My most common mistake is Capitalizing when I shouldn't and not capitalizing when i should.

I have a major problem with words like 'king' or 'captain,' because I've been taught that in certain places, those words should be capitalized and in certain places they shouldn't be.

My problem is, I don't know the difference.

In fact, I plan on posting a thread on this very subject, as I'm pretty darned sure I'm not the only writer in the world who has this problem.
Wouldn't you capitalize 'king' or 'captain' if you're using them as a proper name? For example if you are addressing them by their title.

"Hello Captain, how are you today?"
"Good evening King Joseph."

If you were to put something like the word "my" in front, wouldn't that then make them lowercase?

"Hello my captain, how are you today?"
"Good evening my king."

I guess I'm not really sure on that.

Maryn said:
I have a pet peeve about mistakes with it's being used as a possessive, which is always and unarguably wrong. It's is only a contraction for it is or it has.
I used to make that mistake all the time. Then when I began taking journalism classes in college I understood the mistake. Which is kinda hard to miss when your professors seem to be screaming at you all over your paper every time you write it's instead of its.

I'm uncomfortable with how semi-colons and colons are supposed to be used.
 

Sage

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Puddle Jumper said:
Wouldn't you capitalize 'king' or 'captain' if you're using them as a proper name? For example if you are addressing them by their title.

"Hello Captain, how are you today?"
"Good evening King Joseph."

If you were to put something like the word "my" in front, wouldn't that then make them lowercase?

"Hello my captain, how are you today?"
"Good evening my king."

I guess I'm not really sure on that.
That is how I understand it to be, as well.

For it's vs. its, anytime I use one, I try to separate it out. If it can't be made into "it is," it's "its" (try typing that a few times, ugh).

I always have to check my use of there/they're/there & your/you're. I know the difference, but my fingers tend to favor typing one at any given time. I used to think "their" was the strangest of the three, but nowadays, it's (it is ;) ) the one I favor, & "there" (the easiest one when I was a kid), is the one I don't type correctly the most. I always switch "your" & "you're," but I usually correct it immediately.
 

Puddle Jumper

I also have a habit of writing 'your' all the time and don't catch that it should be 'you're' until I'm reading what I wrote. It seems like I can make quite a few of those mistakes, but I suppose if I've got my head in the clouds of my story then I'm not really thinking of all the technical aspects of writing. Which is why you always go back over your work.

Do you ever put an apostrophe after the word its? As in its'?
 

Sage

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Puddle Jumper said:
Do you ever put an apostrophe after the word its? As in its'?
I can't think of any situation where that would be correct.

Oh, wait, I can. If you had a fantasy race known as the Its, & they collectively owned something (let's say a language), it would be Its' language. (But it would be a single It's magic wand).

Does that help? :e2hammer:
 

Puddle Jumper

Yeah, thanks. I never know when it's appropriate to put an apostrophe on the outside of a word.
 

Sage

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Puddle Jumper said:
Yeah, thanks. I never know when it's appropriate to put an apostrophe on the outside of a word.
From what I can think of right now, it'd be any time you had a possessive by a plural (where the plural ends in s). There's some debate about possessives of names that end in s (Morpheus' book or Morpheus's book)

Also if you're using slang (such as in dialogue) where somethin' is cut off the ending of the word.

"Any time" above reminded me. I have problem using "everyday" when I really mean "every day." I know there's a difference, & I know reph can tell me it 'cuz it was in her(?) signature once, but Word tells me it's always "every day," so that doesn't help.
 

reph

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"Everyday" is properly used only as an adjective, not as an adverb. I wear my everyday clothing every [SPACE] day.

Puddle J., those greetings need commas. So does any similar word or phrase used in direct address.

"Hello, Captain."
"Good evening, my captain."
"Fancy meeting you here, Louise."
"Dad, have you seen my blue shirt?"
"According to your chart, Mr. Chambers, you're allergic to aspirin."
 

Maryn

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Until reph comes along with her high-beams, I can shed a little light on everyday. (Smacking flashlight until the beam stops fading in and out.)

As a single word, "everyday" is an adjective meaning commonplace. These are my everyday shoes, which I wear every day.

At least that's how I understand it.

Sage, I know exactly what you mean about fingers. Ever heard of 'muscle memory'? It's one way well-rehearsed dancers and athletes know what motion comes next. They don't have to think about it--their muscles know. (I've only read of it in fiction, so if it's a load of bull, my apologies.)

Anyway, I'm convinced my fingers type on muscle memory. I type the first three or four letters of a really familiar word, and my fingers work just like a computer's autocomplete: even though that's not the word I'm trying to type, that's what appears. Silly fingers!

Maryn, who refuses to blame her brain
 

reph

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Maryn, what alternative universe are you posting from? Our examples for "everyday" are too similar. Creepy!
 

Sage

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Maryn said:
Sage, I know exactly what you mean about fingers. Ever heard of 'muscle memory'? It's one way well-rehearsed dancers and athletes know what motion comes next. They don't have to think about it--their muscles know. (I've only read of it in fiction, so if it's a load of bull, my apologies.)

Anyway, I'm convinced my fingers type on muscle memory. I type the first three or four letters of a really familiar word, and my fingers work just like a computer's autocomplete: even though that's not the word I'm trying to type, that's what appears. Silly fingers!
Oh, yes, I totally know what you mean. Muscle memory, in general, is good when typing, though, since I don't have to think about pressing every individual letter. My fingers just know.

But I do find it annoying when I'm at work & typing things into scientific documents & my fingers automatically finish a word with a character's name. :e2BIC:
 

Tish Davidson

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I have trouble with lay, layed, laid and lie and whether someone is layed off or laid off and whether a bet is laid off or layed off. I keep reading Strunk and White but it doesn't get much clearer or more clear or whatever and I often avoid using the word L words - no lie.
 

luxintenebrae

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Yeah, I hate that, too. I think this is how it works, but I could be wrong (hopefully not):

lie (reclining)
present: lying
past: lay
past perfect (or whatever it's called): have lain

lie (putting down)
present: laying
past: laid
past perfect: have laid

Someone tell me if I'm wrong, though!! :)
 

luxintenebrae

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Oh, and I don't think "layed" is a word. I also think it's "laid off." It's 2 a.m., so my mind's a little fuzzy. :tongue I don't know about the bet one; I'm not sure if I've ever heard that phrase, but maybe it's the same?
 

reph

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luxintenebrae said:
Yeah, I hate that, too. I think this is how it works, but I could be wrong (hopefully not):

lie (reclining)
present: lying
past: lay
past perfect (or whatever it's called): have lain

lie (putting down)
present: laying
past: laid
past perfect: have laid

Someone tell me if I'm wrong, though!!
You're wrong in parts. This is a corrected version:

lie (reclining)
present participle: lying
past: lay
past participle: lain

lay (putting down)
present participle: laying
past: laid
past participle: laid

lie (telling a falsehood)
present participle: lying
past: lied
past participle: lied

I don't know of any "layed." The part about a bet stumped me until I realized that it might be this one: "I'll lay you ten to one his ring isn't real gold" or "Patty went to the $2 window and laid $10 on In My Dreams to win in the seventh race." Tish, the bet word is "lay," as in laying money on the table. I haven't heard of bets being laid off, though.

Employees are laid off. Eggs are laid in a nest. I need to lay me down to sleep.
 
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Maryn

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reph said:
Maryn, what alternative universe are you posting from? Our examples for "everyday" are too similar. Creepy!
Alternative universe--pshaw! I'm in your house!

Maryn, who doesn't really have a flair for horror, but would loan a flare to a whore if her car was disabled
 

Tish Davidson

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Yes, thank you reph. About bets. When a bookie accepts too much money on on specific position (say a certain horse to win) he will lay off or transfer some of the bet to another bookie. In essence, he spreads the risk so that le loses less if the bettor wins, but he also decreases his chance for making money if the bettor loses. I think insurance companies do the same thing, although they might not call it by the same name.
 

(grasshopper)

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I have a problem with joining two words together when they shouldn't be joined.

For example, when a character in my novel wants to dismiss something, she will say, "Nevermind".

(Boy, that sure looks like it should be one word.)

There are others but I can't think of them now.
 

Ilovepensandpaper

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Commas, hyphens, and semicolons are a little tough for me, especially with poetry. I capitalize the first word in all the lines of my poetry. I know some people do and some don't, but what is the correct way, if there is one? Also words that show possession.

Brook and Katie's book or
Brook's and Katie's book? (girls share one book)
The Grady's yard or
The Gradys' yard? (Grady is the last name)
 
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