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How to use the conjunction “both… and”

It’s a correlative conjunction

Let us review the definition of a conjunction.  A conjunction is a word that connects or establishes a relationship between two or more words, phrases, or clauses.

Example: I ate the sandwich because I was hungry.

I ate the sandwich is an independent clause. I was hungry is also an independent clause. The word because is a conjunction connecting and showing a causal relationship between the two clauses.

When both is paired with and, they are known as a correlative conjunction.

A correlative conjunction is a pair of words that joins equivalent grammatical structures. Some correlative constructions are: both…and, either …or, neither …nor, not only….but also, whether …or.

The word both refers to two things or two actions or two persons. When you use both followed by and, you are telling the readers that you will identify or draw their attention to two things – first one thing and then the other.

Example: Both the kettle and the frying pan have bottoms made of copper.

In this sentence you can see that we referred to the kettle first and then to the second thing which is the frying pan.

You must have equivalent grammatical structures

Now let us look at another aspect of this correlative conjunction. It must join equivalent grammatical structures. This means that if the first item referred to is a noun then the second item must also be a noun. If the first item is a verb then the second item must also be a verb.

Example:

The hospitality students both cooked and served the meal.

Here you can see that equivalent grammatical structures are used with the correlative conjunction.   A verb in the past tense “cooked”is used after both and similarly a verb in the past tense “served” is used after and.

Here is another example.

Both the team captain and the coach worked diligently to prepare the players for the match.

In this example the correlative conjunction is used with two nouns. Both is used with the noun “the team captain” while and is used with the noun “the coach”.

Look carefully at the sentence below.

The concert was both criticised by the newspapers and the radio stations.

This sentence is not correct. The correlative conjunction is not joining equivalent grammatical structures.  Both is followed by a verb, while and is followed by a noun.

The correct sentence should be: The concert was criticised by both the newspapers and the radio stations.

That correction shows two nouns being linked by the correlative conjunction, both … and.

Put the word both in its correct position

You have to position the word both correctly to indicate what two things, or persons or actions are linked by the correlative conjunction.

Look at the sentence below.

I watched both the firing of the canon and the lowering of the flag at the sunset ceremony.

In this sentence both is placed before one event – the firing of the canon- so we expect that the other part of the conjunction, that is, the word and would be linking to another event in the same sentence. It does this by linking to – the lowering of the flag.

However if you position both in front of watched – I both watched the firing of the canon and the lowering of the flag at the sunset ceremony -you would have an incorrect sentence. You took one action. You watched. Now the reader expects you to link to another action that you took. However you took no other action. This means that you have put both in the wrong position in the sentence.

However if you intended to link two actions that you took then you have to include this second action. You can write for example – I both watched and photographed the firing of the canon and the lowering of the flag at the sunset ceremony. This demonstrates that you are linking watched and photographed.

You can also determine the correct position of both by checking to see whether the grammatical structure after both is the same grammatical structure that you have after and.

These tips should give you the confidence to use correctly the construction both… and.

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How to avoid using redundancies

Redundancy

A redundant expression uses a word that is not needed because the meaning of that word is already contained in another word or expression in the sentence. A redundant word can be omitted without altering the meaning of a sentence. Redundancy also refers to the use of an additional word that is already included in the meaning of another word.

These are definitions  

The English Oxford Living Dictionary defines redundant as: “(of words or data) able to be omitted without loss of meaning or function.

”The Macmillan Contemporary Dictionary defines redundancy as: “Use of more words than are necessary to convey an idea; needless repetition.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines redundant as:“Characterised by or containing an excess, specifically: using more words than necessary.”

You should avoid redundant words and expressions in speech and especially in writing.

The sentence below contains a redundant expression.

Example: I am going to reverse back the car.  In that sentence back is a redundant word because reverse means to go backwards. The word back is already included in the meaning of reverse so it can be omitted. The correct sentence is:  I am going to reverse the car.

You may have often heard someone say: Repeat that for me again. Repeat again is a redundant expression because repeat means to say or do again. The meaning of again is already included in the word repeat. You should omit the word again.

Other redundant expressions are:

in my opinion, I think; Your opinion is what you think so use one of those expressions but not both at the same time.

new innovation; An innovation is a new method, a new idea. The use of the word new with innovation is not necessary.

He was the shorter of the two twins. The word “twins” refers to two persons so the use of “two” is redundant.

The events will start at 11 a.m. in the morning. The abbreviation a.m. refers to a time in the morning. Adding “in the morning” creates a redundancy.

The reason I lost the race is because I was tired. 

Reason….is because is a redundant expression. Reason already implies a cause so you do not need the word because. Likewise the word because indicates that you are stating a reason so you would not need the word reason. You have to use one or the other. Correct usage is: “The reason I lost the race is that I was tired” or “I lost the race because I was tired.”

Avoid using redundant expressions when you are speaking or writing to make your use of language more precise.

Here are some other common redundant expressions.

free gift

merge together

exact same

completely filled

protrude out

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How to help students use the grammar they learnt

Make grammar your friend

I notice that some students do not put into practice the grammar rules they are taught. Their subjects and verbs do not agree. Spelling goes out of the window and punctuation especially is random, following no known rules.

When these students get assignments on individual aspects of English, some do it well, even very well, showing that they understand the concept. In a grammar activity they can identify all the mistakes of agreement and can correct the errors. However if they have to write a report or a letter for instance, they do not apply those same agreement rules to their writing.

If you ask these students to write a bit of dialogue between two characters, they would write an interesting exchange but they would have little or no punctuation required for dialogue. Quotation marks would be flung in at random.

Some students would know how to identify a dangling modifier if they were given a quiz about that grammar rule. They would also correct the sentence to eliminate the dangling modifier but even while doing that they would make mistakes of tense in other parts of the corrected sentence.

I would like to share three ways to help these students make grammar their friend and use the grammar they have learnt.

Give a rubric

Giving a rubric for any writing assignment will help the student see what you accept as good quality and what would be not-so-good writing. Include a rubric and scores for grammar and mechanics and usage. Identify exactly what skills you will test and what marks you will award. Show how you arrive at that mark.

Giving a rubric is a way to tell the student that although they are writing a letter, for instance, it is important to get more than just the format and content right. The mechanics of the language must also be correct. When you include scores for expected levels of grammar, you are emphasising that correct use of grammar is a large part of showing that they know how to use the language.

Give a checklist

A very specific checklist will help. You can ask the student to check off a list of things they should have done while writing.

Example: 

  • subjects and verbs agree
  • words are spelt correctly
  • the correct tense is used
  • pronoun references are correct
  • punctuation is appropriate

You can put about five items on the list. You can also create the list to include the grammar areas or rules that your students repeatedly get wrong.

Let students read their writing aloud

Have the students read their writing aloud. They usually discover their mistakes when they hear them. Or they usually hear their mistakes when they read their work aloud. While writing, students may feel that they have completed everything perfectly. However hearing their work would alert the students to words they may have left out. Some parts of their writing may sound wrong and this would alert them to grammatical errors. When students hear the words they have written they will hear the difference between what they actually wrote and what they thought they had written. Sometimes it is even more helpful if the student hears someone else read the assignment.

Now you can try these tips on how to help students apply grammar rules in their writing.

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How to prevent misplaced and dangling modifiers

What is a modifier?

A modifier is a word, phrase or clause that describes or limits another word, phrase or clause.

An adjective is an example of a modifier. Look at this first sentence:

This is a bag.

Then look at this next sentence:

This is a leather bag.

In the second sentence we have included the word leather as an adjective to describe the bag. The word leather is a modifier that tells us more about the bag.

An adverb can also be used to modify

The cat stretched lazily. In this sentence the adverb lazily is a modifier describing how the cat stretched. The adverb lazily is modifying the verb stretched.

A modifier can be a phrase.

Example: Richard picked up the stone with the rounded edges.  The phrase with the rounded edges is a modifier of the noun stone. The phrase is describing the stone.

A clause can be a modifier.

Example: He took a walk after he washed the dishes. The clause …after he washed the dishes describes or tells when the action of taking a walk took place.

Misplaced modifiers

Where you place a modifier determines the meaning of your message. A misplaced modifier is one that is placed too far from the word that it is describing. This can make your meaning unclear or ambiguous. You should place your modifiers close to the word or words they modify.

Example: She put the plastic laptop cover on the table.

This seems to mean that the laptop is plastic. Or is it the cover that is plastic? It is unclear.

She put the plastic cover of the laptop on the table. When you put the modifier plastic next to the word it describes the sentence becomes clear.

Here is another example of a misplaced modifier.

Example: The dog is lying under the table that is heavily bandaged. This sentence is very awkward because the modifier is placed close to the word table suggesting that the table is bandaged. To make the sentence clear the modifier…that is heavily bandaged should be placed next to the word dog that it is describing.   

Limiting modifiers

Words such as never, only, almost, just, hardly, scarcely, simply and merely limit the word they precede. Where you place these words in a sentence affects the meaning of the sentence. Here are some examples of how the placement of the word only can change the meaning of the sentence.

Scientists say that ants live in colonies only.

(The ants do not live in any other type of organisation)

Only scientists say that ants live in colonies.

(Nobody else says that)

Scientists say that only ants live in colonies.

(No other insects live in colonies)

Remember to place only or any other limiting modifier in a position that gives the sentence the meaning you intend.

Dangling modifiers

A dangling modifier occurs when the noun or pronoun to which it refers is not in the sentence. Sometimes a dangling modifier is called a dangling participle or hanging participle. When a sentence begins with a participle it must refer to a noun or pronoun in the main clause.

Example: After watering the plants the gardener closed the gate.

After watering the plants refers to the noun gardener. It is the gardener who is doing the action of watering the plants. In this sentence the modifying phrase is not dangling.

Now change the sentence to …

After watering the plants the gate was closed.

In this sentence there is no reference to who is doing the action. The noun gate in the main clause cannot water the plants. After watering the plants is a dangling modifier. In order to correct this you have to put a noun in the main clause to which the modifier can refer as we did in the first sentence.

Examples: Rowing across the river, the moonlight glowed on the water.

Dangling modifier. The moonlight cannot row.

Rowing across the river I saw how the moonlight glowed on the water.

Corrected sentence. Include the pronoun I to show who was doing the action.

The rain came down while walking the dog.

Dangling modifier (The rain cannot walk the dog)

While George was walking the dog the rain came down.

Corrected sentence. (We include a noun to which the modifier can refer.)

When you write be sure to avoid dangling and misplaced modifiers. Be very careful where you place limiting modifiers. Make your writing clear and easy to understand.

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What is the difference between past and passed

Learn to use pass, past and passed

People are often confused about the use of the words past, pass and passed. These  words have different meanings and each one is used differently. One reason for confusion is that all three words sound alike especially pass and past.

Should we say, “I walked past the school.”

Or should we say, “I walked pass the school.”   The first sentence is correct. The second sentence is not correct.  Let’s see why.

What is the meaning of past and pass?

Noun

The word past has more than one meaning.   Past is a noun that means a time that has gone by, or the history of an individual or a nation

Example: In the past, gentlemen wore powdered wigs. (time that has gone by)

I had an adventurous past as a bush pilot. (history of an individual)

Preposition

As a preposition past means : beyond in time, in space, in amount

Prepositions describe relationships in time or space

Example: There is a large pond past the mill.

In this sentence past is the preposition showing the position in space or the location of the pond in relation to the mill.

Here is another sentence which shows the use of past as a preposition showing a position in time.

When we found the lost hikers it was past midnight.

Adverb

As an adverb, past also means so as go beyond; by. Adverbs describe or modify verbs.

Example: Although I tried to stop the bus, it drove past.

Adjective

As an adjective past means gone by, belonging to a former time, time just passed

I spent the past hour trying to solve an equation. The king apologised for the past injustices of his ancestors.

On the other hand “pass” is a verb that means to go or move; to proceed, to go or move by.

Example: I pass the church everyday on my way to work.

Passed is the past tense of the verb pass

Example: The cyclist passed the hikers two hours ago.

How to use past, pass and passed

However when there is confusion between past and passed it is not the noun which creates the confusion. Instead it is when past is used as an adjective, adverb or as a preposition that it is confused with passed or pass. 

The way to solve the confusion is to determine which part of speech you need for what you are about to say or to write.  Here are some examples.

I passed the white cow on my way to school.

This is the use of the verb showing an action that has taken place. The only way that passed can be used is as a verb and as a past tense of the verb to pass.

Here is another sentence:  

I walked past the white cow on my way to school.

Here you would be using a preposition to show where you went or your position.

It is incorrect to say I walked pass the white cow on my way to school. The word pass is a verb and cannot be used to modify another verb or to show a position in space. Although the two words pass and past sound alike they are different parts of speech and so must be used in ways appropriate to their function.

The old truck creaked past.

Here you would be using an adverb to show how the truck moved.

When you are giving directions you also need to be careful about which word to use. You can say:

Walk past the library and then you will come to the police station.

Or

When you pass the library you will come to the police station.

 So if we return to the first two sentences at the top of the page you now know why sentence one is correct  – I walked past the school. You do not need a verb there for the sentence already has a verb which is walked.  You use past as a preposition to show your position. It shows or tells where you are- past the school.

The second sentence is not correct – I walked pass the school – because pass is a verb and the sentence already has a verb walked.

A useful tip to help you remember the difference between past, passed and pass is that past is never used as a verb.

Past is not a verb.

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Know your negatives

A yellow traffic sign that warns against making the grammatical error of using double negatives
No double negatives warning sign

Common negative words

Generally we think of negative words as “no”, “not” and other words formed with  “no” such as “nobody” and “nothing”.

“Not” is the most common word we use to make a statement or an expression negative. We just attach “not” to a helping or auxiliary verb and it gives a negative meaning to the verb and to the sentence. Instead of “not” you can use the contraction of not which is “n’t”. This is added to a helping or auxiliary verb to form the negative.

Example: If we add “not” or “n’t” to “have” we get “have not” and “haven’t”.

To make “have eaten” negative we would use “have not eaten” or  “haven’t eaten”.

I was fishing in the river.

Negative – I was not fishing in the river.

                      I wasn’t fishing in the river.

Another common negative word is “no”. It is often a very emphatic indication of the negative.

“Are you going to the concert?”

“No I am staying home instead.

You can also use it in rules or notices. No swimming is allowed near the pier.

Double negatives

One rule to remember is that you cannot use two negatives in the same clause. This error is the use of a double negative. Look at these sentences.

“No one can’t tell me what to do.”  

I won’t do nothing to stop him from entering the race. They are both incorrect. They show the use of a double negative. In the first sentence the word “no” is negative and the word “can’t” is also negative.  In the second sentence the word “nothing” is negative and “won’t” is also negative.i

These words are negative too

Some words do not look negative but are negative in meaning and usage. These words are” hardly”, “scarcely” and “barely”. These are negative adverbs. 

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the words are defined as follows:

scarcely means… only just; not,  

hardly means…  only just; certainly not

and barely means …by the smallest amount; only just.

These sentences below show the negative meanings of “hardly”.

Hardly anyone attended the meeting. This means that not many persons attended.

I hardly ever get a cold.  This is means the same as – I do not get a cold often.

Because these words are negative you should not use them with other negative words or you would be making the mistake of using a double negative. Look at these sentences. “I can hardly wait for my vacation.” This is correct.  However this next sentence is not correct. “I can’t hardly wait for my vacation.” This is an example of using a double negative. “Can’t” is negative and “hardly” is negative.

You should also avoid using another negative word with “scarcely” and “barely”.

It is correct to say, “I can scarcely squeeze into these jeans.”  But it is incorrect to say

“I can’t scarcely squeeze into these jeans.”

 Or “I did not barely understand the instructions”. In both cases you would be using a double negative.

Position of hardly when indicating time

When you use “hardly” to indicate the timing of an action you should begin the sentence with “hardly” and invert the subject and verb and use “when” in the clause describing a second action.

Example:

Hardly had I entered the house when the storm broke.

Hardly…… inverted subject and verb…..when

You begin the sentence with hardly and instead of saying I had you invert that to had I and then use when to show the timing of the second action.  This construction shows that one action followed immediately after another. In the example sentence this construction shows that the storm followed immediately after the person entered the house.

You use the same construction if using “scarcely” to indicate the timing of an event. Begin with “scarcely”, invert subject and verb and use “when” in the clause following. Scarcely had I fallen asleep when the fire alarm sounded.

Position of hardly in other sentences

In other sentences “hardly” is usually placed midway between the subject and the main verb. I hardly take that route to go to school. The subject is “I” and the main verb is “take”. Notice that “hardly” is positioned between them.  

 “Scarcely” is used in the same way. Tim scarcely makes a living from growing corn.

“Tim” is the subject and “makes” is the verb. Notice the position of “scarcely” midway between them.

I barely managed to meet the deadline for entering the competition. In this sentence “barely” is placed between the subject “I” and the main verb “managed”.

Rules to remember

 The main rules to remember when using these negative adverbs are:

Do not use another negative word in the same clause or you will make the grammatical error of using a double negative.

In sentences indicating timing of events, when you use the construction “Hardly  (followed by inverted subject and verb) this is followed by “when”.

“Hardly……..when”

Now go ahead and use your negative words with confidence.

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It’s all baggage

Tricky plurals

I am sure you remember being told that the plural of sheep is sheep and the plural of deer is deer. Both words remain unchanged when they become plural. No s or es is added to the singular. The singular is sheep and the plural sheep. You can have one sheep or you can have more than one, probably twenty, and they are still sheep.

Singular            Plural

sheep                   sheep

deer                     deer

These two examples are well known and now let us consider some other nouns which may seem to be plural but do not have a plural form .

Luggage and baggage

baggage has no plural
Many bags but still just baggage

If you are flying to Sao Paola for business and you are taking just one carry-on bag, then that is your luggage. If you like to change into different outfits and you packed several suits and shoes requiring you to take five bags that is still your luggage. Here again you see that there is only the singular form luggage. The same is true for the word baggage which has the same meaning as luggage. It is incorrect to try and make luggage or baggage plural by adding an s. There no such words as luggages or baggages.

Examples:

I like to travel with only essential items so my luggage usually consists of just one bag.

Upon returning from vacation the family had so much luggage that we had to get two carts to accommodate all the bags.

Gear and equipment

When the word gear is used as a noun to mean equipment or clothes used for a particular purpose then its plural takes the same form as the singular. It is often used in this form in sports or with reference to sporting equipment and clothing.

The word equipment is also used with one form for singular and plural. Never add an s to equipment even when the equipment consists of a variety of items. You can say equipment, pieces of equipment or items of equipment but it remains as equipment.

Examples:

In order to carry my bat along with the rest of my cricket gear I needed a special bag.

Dad always inspected his fishing gear before he set off on any fishing trip.

Furniture  

Although furniture is used to refer to several items it cannot be used with an s. Do not attempt to create the word furnitures. You can refer to one table, or four chairs. The individual items can have plural forms but when regarded together as a unit they are called furniture.

Mass Nouns

These nouns luggage, baggage, gear (when used to mean apparatus), equipment and furniture are mass nouns or uncountable nouns. These nouns treat the items as one unit and not as separate and distinct parts. In other words you cannot say one luggage, two luggages and so on. You also cannot use the indefinite article, that is a or an with mass nouns. In other words you cannot say a luggage or an equipment. These nouns have one form only and even when they suggest several items the form does not change.

Here is a definition of a mass noun given by Collins English Dictionary.

“a noun that refers to an extended substance rather than to each of a set of isolable objects, as for example, water as opposed to lake. In English when used indefinitely they are characteristically preceded by some rather than a or an; they do not have normal plural forms”

Isolable means capable of being isolated or separated

Familiar mass nouns include sugar, water and sand.

So no matter how large the pile of bags you travel with it is all baggage.

photo credit: scottnj Emotional Baggage via photopin (license)

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Criteria is plural

 

 

Criteria or criterion

 

There is some confusion about the use of the word criteria. Let’s clear it up by giving some information about the word. The Oxford Dictionary defines criterion as, “ a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided”. Criteria is the plural form of the word criterion. The word criterion comes from the Greek word kriterion.

The confusion arises because some persons tend to use the plural form of the word criteria as singular. Here is an example of such usage. The main criteria for giving a loan is the ability of the borrower to repay. There is only one standard of judgement that is mentioned so the singular form criterion should be used. You should then take care when writing or speaking to use the correct form of the word whether singular or plural. To avoid confusion then remember to use criterion when you refer to only one “principle or standard” of judgement and use criteria when you refer to several standards.

Examples:

The performance of the divers was judged on four criteria.

Reliability was the major criterion used to select my new intern.  

 

Is data singular or plural?

The usage of data is also an area for clarification. The word data is actually plural and its singular is datum. Sticking strictly to grammar rules we should treat data as plural.

The collected data indicate that the spider population is increasing.

However the usage of data has been changing. Over time the word data is increasingly being used as a singular noun.

The data I gathered from the survey is stored on my computer.

According to the English Oxford Living Dictionaries data is used as a plural in “specialised scientific fields” but is treated as a mass noun in “modern, non-scientific use”. A mass noun takes a singular verb.

According to the Oxford information on its usage data though plural in form is generally used with a singular verb.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary recognises that data can be used as “a plural noun (like earnings) taking a plural verb and also as an abstract mass noun (like information) taking a singular verb. Merriam-Webster’s advice differs slightly from that of the English Oxford Living Dictionaries. While the English Oxford Living Dictionary indicates that data as plural is only used in the scientific field, Merriam- Webster does not confine the plural use to the scientific field.

I summarise and advise that you can use data as either plural or as singular. My further advice is to be consistent with the usage you choose to adopt in any one piece of writing.

 

 

 

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Get the fluff out of your resume

 

If you have a long list of work experiences and training experience you will have to trim your resume when applying for a new position. You can be so proud of all your achievements that you want to include them all on your resume. A voluminous list resulting in a seven page resume will not necessarily impress the gatekeeper of the job you are seeking. It is better to take a second look at your long list and begin some pruning.

Keep what is relevant

Focus on the requirements of the job and select those achievements, skills and training that are relevant to the position. Select information that will interest your potential employers. Select information that will say that you are a competent candidate for the job. You do not want to give the message that you can do all jobs.

Some applicants list every single workshop, seminar or even panel discussion that they have attended. Unless the training you received gives you a qualification or knowledge relevant to the desired position you should exclude it. If you are applying for a job as an administrative assistant you do not have to add that you attended three days of lifeguard training or two days of yoga training to your resume. These workshops have no direct relevance to the advertised post.

If however you participated in several short courses on managing office documents, then include that training. Instead of making a long list of these workshops summarise them and write one entry indicating this as training in administrative skills over a particular period.

You can include conferences and workshops at which you were the trainer or facilitator as long as these are relevant to the job as advertised.

What to do about the clubs?

Be selective about including club memberships. You do not have to include that you are a member of the hiking club or of your university choir unless the job wants a singer or an outdoor personality. You can instead list hiking and singing as some of your interests. Just being a member of a club does not mean that you demonstrated any qualities that employers will admire.

If you were a president or vice-president of a club that is nationally or internationally known then that would be worth including. However you should be able to highlight any programmes that you implemented while in a leadership role in order to actually indicate your leadership qualities. A long list of insignificant club memberships unrelated to the job just stuffs the resume and will not impress employers. Leave them out.

photo credit: Bobbi Newman Trying new coffee shops via photopin (license)

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Proofread or spellcheck?

You should proofread your writing rather than rely on the spelling and grammar check of your computer. Grammatical errors or even what most

proofread your writing to avoid spelling errors
Truck entrance sign with spelling error

persons would label as typographical errors, or typos as they are more commonly, known can spoil an otherwise appealing website, article or promotion. In the public space when you present yourself to the world a few mistakes can undermine your credibility. Website content or blogs with errors can make your market or audience uncertain about doing business with you. You have to proofread your writing in order to correct any errors you may have inadvertently made. Do this before releasing your writing to the attention of the public or your audience.

You should not rely on Spell Check because it does not distinguish between homonyms or words that sound alike but have different meanings. If you write pear when you intended to write pair it will not be flagged as an error. In the meantime your sentence will have an entirely different meaning to what you intended or it will have no meaning at all.

Spell Check will alert you to misspelt words but it will not recognise when the word you use is incorrect. Here are some examples.

Mothering is at the root of all out biology

New model phone breath new life into company.

If push to came to shove

Of these three examples only the second was flagged as an error and the spelling and grammar tool did not recognise it as an agreement error but thought it was a fragment.

Can I trust you?

If you allow mistakes to appear in your writing in the final versions of your blog post, article or letter you may give the impression of being inept. Some readers say they think of such writers as fraudulent or dishonest.

I always think that the person whose site has a lot of grammar or spelling mistakes will also be careless about other aspects of the site such as security.

One site advertising a mobile wallet says:

Your app in protected via PIN and password.

This mistake on a site that is providing a product that will have access to your financial information does not inspire confidence in the site or its owners to keep your financial information safe.

Spellcheck would not recognise this mistake because “in” is a word. If the writer had taken the time to proofread the content then such a mistake would have been easily identified.

I am reluctant to buy even a T-shirt from a supplier if there are mistakes or what some would dismiss as typos in the description of the product. It leads me to expect that the product would be inferior. below is an example of a mistake in writing the description of the product.

Women’s printed surplus dress

The writer of this description intended to write “surplice dress”. The spelling and grammar check tool did not recognise the error. You have to be careful in writing your product description because that is your chance to talk to your customer. A mistake here could cause you to lose your customer. A “surplus” dress is one that might seem as not belonging to the higher quality inventory. A “surplice” dress on the other hand describes the style of the dress. In cases like this the human element is superior and a good proofreading eye will give you a corrected written description of your product.

proofread your writing
proofread or spell check?

Proofreading screens your writing more thoroughly than the computer’s spelling and grammar tool. You can still use your spell check tool but for confidence and accuracy follow up with a thorough proofreading of your writing.

 

 

 

photo credit: Nemo’s great uncle #3558 truck enterence [sic] only via photopin (license)

photo credit: marcoverch Brille, Tastatur und Kaktus-Kerze vor buntem Hintergrund via photopin (license)