Write On

In the April issue of Bread 'n Molasses we started a new series of articles on writing. Whether you write for business or pleasure, you can improve your skill. Every month we'll share a new tip to help you write better.

When you notice a spelling mistake in an email or a proposal, do you make any assumptions about the writer? Do you think he or she is less intelligent? Do you feel that the writer is somewhat careless and lacking in attention to the detail?

The answer to these questions is probably yes. Yet everyone makes spelling errors and typos at some point. Don't be the writer who gets caught.

Whether it's email to a friend or an important business proposal to the bank, always spell check before you send. Most email and word processing software have a spell check option. Use it. Even the best spell-checker doesn't catch every mistake, if in doubt consult a dictionary or stylebook.

Its/It's
its - possessive form of it
it's - contraction of it is or it has
possessive - The flower had wilted and dropped its petals on the ground.
contraction - It's a beautiful morning. (It is)

Your/You're
your - possessive form of you
you're - contraction of you are
possessive Your class has been rescheduled.
contraction You're going to be late for class. (You are)

Their/There/They're
their - possessive form of they
there - in that place
they're - contraction of they are
possessive Their meeting was postponed.
in that place I went to a meeting there.
contraction They're going to a meeting this afternoon. (They are)

Were/Where/We're
were - form of the verb to be
where - related to location or place
we're - contraction of we are
verb The balloons were red, white, and yellow.
location/place That is where I left my keys.
contraction We're planning to leave at noon.

Accept/Except
accept - a verb, meaning to receive or to admit to a group
except - usually a preposition, meaning but or only
verb I accept your proposal and recommendations.
preposition The apples are fine except this one.

Whose/Who's
whose - possessive form of who
who's - contraction form of who is or who has
possessive Do you know whose coat this is?
contraction Who's the owner of this coat?

Affect/Effect
affect - usually a verb, meaning to influence
effect - usually a noun, meaning result
verb I was deeply affected by his comment.
noun The lights in the parking lot created an eerie effect.

Than/Then
than - used when making comparisons
then - refers to a time in the past
comparison There are more students than there are desks.
time We took attendence and then went to get additional desks.

All right/Alright
all right - means I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay.
alright - is not a word, it's a misspelling, so don't use it at all.
okay Gabrielle, are you all right?

To/Too/Two
to - used as a function word
too - also or in excess
two - a number (2)
function I went to the store. To be or not to be.
also/in excess I want some ice cream too. It's too loud.
number Give me two burgers and fries.

Kellie Underhill is the editor of Bread 'n Molasses. Her writing credits include The Moncton Times-Transcript, The Brunswick Business Journal, The Atlantic Chamber Journal and The Reader magazine. Send comments about this article to editor@breadnmolasses.com.