Do you find your writing is always being corrected? Are you constantly making the same mistakes are just can’t tell the difference between “its and it’s” and “affect” and “effect”? Don’t worry it isn’t your fault and there are four powerful reasons working against you.

1. It doesn’t seem to make sense

The rules of English grammar are inconsistent, contradictory and just don’t make sense. For example, adding an “‘s” shows possession for a single noun such as Tony’s - except it doesn’t all of the time! The possession for “it” is not “it’s” as this is the contraction of “it is”. And they wonder why everyone muddles up its and it’s so much. It just doesn’t make sense.

2. It’s out of date

Some of the rules that the keepers of the dusty rules of English would have us use are based back in Anglo Saxon Britain, and have no place in the global 21^st Century. My favourite example of this is the word “hopefully”. Everyone knows what it means and what we all mean when we say things like “Hopefully it will all work out”. Those pedantic grammarians claim this extremely common use is wrong and we should stop doing it! I say they are wrong. I say English is an evolving language and to use the so called correct “it is hoped that” would make you sound like a complete lemon. Listen carefully to your friends, family, colleagues and the media and see how often hopefully is used.

3. Spell checkers add spelling mistakes

This just seems mean to me. We all rely on spell checkers right? We hope that they will do their job and correct our spelling mistakes and make us look good. Guess what?  They actually add in spelling mistakes of their own!

The case for the defence is that spell checkers are just a tool and are subject to error is the intended word is not close to the way you mistype it. So one letter out and you have a good chance, any more and it will start suggesting weird and wacky alternatives. For example, if you meant to type “a lot” and mistyped it as “alot” your dear old word processor would suggest “allot” which means to divide or share. This is ok if you check each word individually but auto spell checking could be a disaster.

I say, it’s time Microsoft and the others gave this essential tool an update as I doubt it’s been changed for over a decade.

4. “They don’t want you to learn”

This is the worst reason. Remember those pedantic grammarians that insist on the use of “it is hoped”? They enjoy pointing out when we’re wrong. Copy writers make money out of correcting these mistakes and they really don’t want us to know or do any better. Have a look at some books on better English and you’ll find 200-300 page epics that will rapidly gather dust. They seem to me to be designed not to be read.

There is a better way.

Go to www.thewritingformula.com/mistakes.html and claim your free 8 page guide “Hear, they’re and every wear” that will help you fight back against these pedantic grammarians and instantly improve your writing by eliminating those common mistakes!