New Year's resolutions

Written by Pat Wootton, PromptProofing.com

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The New Year is all about new beginnings. I love the idea that, with every January 1 that rolls around, I can start with a clean slate - all previous mistakes and misjudgments are forgotten and the future me will be perfect in every way.  (Of course this ideal doesn't generally last past January 2 but hey...)

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New Year's resolutions

The New Year is all about new beginnings. I love the idea that, with every January 1 that rolls around, I can start with a clean slate - all previous mistakes and misjudgments are forgotten and the future me will be perfect in every way.  (Of course this ideal doesn't generally last past January 2 but hey...)

OK, so maybe you won't always manage to lose 20lbs, pay off your credit card in full every month, call your mom once a week, go to the gym at 6:30 every morning etc. The following suggestions may, however, enable you to avoid unnecessary grammar errors and make your professional writing more effective:

Some suggested New Year's resolutions to make your writing more professional.


#1 I will never use an apostrophe with the word its unless I am meaning to say it is or it has.

e.g. The cottage had lost its charm for me.  
BUT 
It's snowing outside.

#2 I will ensure correct pronoun use and case to avoid confusion.

e.g. 'You know her better than me.' (this means only one thing - You know her better than you know me.)  
HOWEVER 
Use 'You know her better than I' if what you really mean is:  'You know her better than I (know her)'. 

#3 I understand the difference between words that change their spelling according to their function and will always use them correctly.

e.g. affect/effect (quick trick - affect is a verb - a verb is an 'action' word. 'Action' and 'affect' both start with 'a'.) 'Effect', of course, is a noun.

Examples: What you eat can seriously affect your health.  
It's surprising what an effect my makeover had on her.

#4 I will avoid misplaced modifiers.

e.g. 'Tom had nearly opened all his gifts by Christmas Eve.' Had he almost, but not quite, opened every single gift? Or did you really mean:
'Tom had opened nearly all his gifts by Christmas Eve.'?

#5  I will be careful to distinguish between countable and non-countable nouns. 

How many times have you seen this sign in the supermarket - 'Express checkout - 10 items or less'?
'Items' is a countable noun so it should, of course, be '10 items or fewer'.
You can have less milk, less flour etc. but you would have fewer children than your neighbour and fewer items in your basket.

I could continue, but if everyone avoids just these five common errors, then the standard of writing in 2011 will improve dramatically.

Wishing all readers a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

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About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to individuals and partners with marketing and public relations companies.





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