March 4 is National Grammar Day. And why a day for grammar, you ask?
We may have spell-check everywhere we type, but evidently, people still need to check their grammar in what they write.
Do you have any pet peeves about grammar mistakes people make? This following catchy parody by Weird Al lists some prevalent word crimes that drive him crazy. He may be a little brutal, but he makes up for the insults by giving viewers a couple grammar lessons.
Is it correct to say, “I could care less?”
Are you doing good or doing well?
Can you use “quotes” too often?
Surprisingly, Weird Al did not mention my biggest pet peeve for grammar in his parody: using that instead of who. For example:
An employee that goes above and beyond should be recognized.
INCORRECT. It should be:
An employee who goes above and beyond should be recognized.
The Grammarly app doesn’t even find it for correction; it has become common.
Our English has become lazy. There are several English words we pronounce incorrectly or use wrong. We even say some words by just a sound instead of the word, such as saying “teh” instead of saying “to.”
One of my crimes isn’t misspelling or using a word incorrectly, but rather how I pronounce it: espresso – not expresso.
6 Helpful Grammar Aids for Writers
As a writer, I always have grammar helpers nearby. My favorite is Grammarly, a tool I use daily. It is a free download and works right within Microsoft Word. However, upgrading to a premium subscription is the best for writers and students. The premium version catches misspelled words and all types of grammatical errors. It provides better sentence structure options and how to write to your target audience. Their add-in to internet browsers is helpful for all online typing.
Besides directing me to correctly place commas, Grammarly catches all my typed sentences with two spaces after periods. Breaking the two-space habit is hard – I remember in high school typing class when I would get marked down on timed tests if there was only one space after a period!
Another is Google. I have a Google Mini at my desk and use it frequently as a thesaurus. It saves time from leaving Microsoft Word and going to a browser to look up a word. Google can even send the answer right to your phone.
Microsoft Editor
A competitor to Grammarly is Microsoft Editor, an upgraded AI version created for Microsoft 365. Their add-on is available for internet browsers for helpful spell-check. If you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you already have access to the premium version. However, many feel that Editor has a long way to go until it can compete head-to-head with Grammarly.
Grammar Girl is Mignon Fogarty, the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network. Her Grammar Girl podcast can be found wherever you like to listen to podcasts.
Grammarist is a blog to help with grammar, usage, spelling, style, and other resources. Grammarist states that they reach a “diverse audience primarily in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia, in that order.” Their blog offers many useful tips, including free PDF downloads.
This grammar blog publishes topics ranging from grammar to punctuation, spelling to usage, and vocabulary. For business writing tips, check here first. Find what you need from their category list on the main page.
Looking for grammar errors in this post? If you find one – let Grammarly know.
This post was originally published on my blog, Muses of a Mom, on March 4, 2022, but republished here with updated information.
One response to “6 Helpful Grammar Aids for Writers to Prevent Word Crimes”
Sorry- I will ALWAYS add two spaces after a period. That is not a grammar issue per se, it's a practice started long ago- and was drilled into me as I wrote a plethora of theses.