New and Knew

These two words are Homophones. They sound the same when spoken but have different meanings. While visiting some blogs yesterday I noticed that "new" was being used when in fact "knew" was what should have been used. It could have been a typo and the author of the article didn't notice. Funny thing is spell check wont catch these typos because the word is spelled correctly. That's another reason you can't depend entirely on that program.

New:noun; now, for the first time, in original condition, strange(being new to me)

I wore a new dress to work today.
I found a new baseball card for my collection.

Knew: verb;(past tense of know) to be acquainted with, to know, identify, be subject to

I knew it was the same man I saw yesterday.
I knew it was the wrong answer.
He knew it was the wrong color.

I bought a new purse today and knew it wouldn't be big enough for everything I want to put in it.

What color are the words?

This is a mind teaser. See how fast you can say the color of the words, not what the word is!

Now and Know

For some reason I keep running across the word NOW used in place of know.
These words don't sound the same when spoken but when writing some people leave
the K off which changes the meaning of the sentence or makes it read funny.

Now :noun; at the present time, on this further ocassion
Please take the trash out now.
What do we do now?

know :verb; have in the mind, something learned, be able to recall

He didn't know her name.
Did he know a lot about fixing cars?
I know the answer to that question.

I know you will take the time to check your articles now.

Role and Roll

These homophones seem to be tripping up a few blog writers for some reason even though they sound alike they do have different meanings.

role: noun; a character portrayed by an actor. "Ghandi" was Ben Kingsley's greatest role. "Hamlet" is a difficult role for most actors.

Roll can be a verb meaning to push something along the ground so that it rotates.
Roll out the barrel. Roll up the carpet.

Roll can also be a noun describing something that has been rolled up. Pass me that roll of carpet. Was it a sweet roll you baked today?

3 Most Common Mistakes made in English Punctuation

3 Most Common Mistakes made in English Punctuation

Punctuation marks that are not placed where they should be give a negative impression of the writer as much as bad grammar does.




1. Writing Sentence Fragments

Sentence fragments are not complete sentences but they can be made a part of sentences. You should avoid using them, as such. For example:

I would go there. If I could.

There should be no period before the sentence fragment “if I could”. Instead, the fragment should be made part of the sentence, so that it reads like this:

I would go there if I could.

2. Using the Comma Splice

The comma splice joins two independent clauses with a comma. Below is an example.

I saw the itinerary, I want to join.

In this sentence, a comma connects two independent clauses. To correct this, you can either put a period after the first independent clause or add a conjunction after the comma.

I saw the itinerary. I want to join.
I saw the itinerary, and I want to join.

3. Putting Apostrophes for Plural Forms of Nouns

Another common mistake is adding apostrophes to plural nouns. Below are examples.

The orange’s are really sweet.
The kid’s will be performing in a musical.

The apostrophes in these examples should be omitted.

Correct way: The oranges are really sweet.
The kids will be performing in a musical.

Fewer and/or Less

Again while doing some proofreading I ran across these 2 words which seem to give people quiet a hard time in knowing their proper usage. So even though they are not homonyms nor homophones I thought they should be explained so writers would have a better understanding of the way in which to use them properly.

fewer: /adjective/ not as many as (applies only to numbers)

Usage: In the supermarket, only people with 20 or fewer items should use the Express Lanes.

less: /adjective/ ,not as much as (applies to extent, degree, bulk),
Usage: There is less chance of a mistake if you read the instructions.

"Would of " , "could of", "should of" ???

Recently I have run across the use of " would of", "could of", "should of" used in a sentence,
when it should have been "would have", "could have", and/or "should have"
This seems to be a very common mistake made when speaking as well as when writing.
I "could of" been a better writer if I "would of" learned to use English grammar properly.
The right way would read...I "could HAVE" been a better writer if I "HAD" learned to use English
grammar properly.