After Deb’s last guest post, many of you asked for a comprehensive list of common grammar mistakes…and she answered the call! Thanks, Deb.

Are you worried about your grammar when you write? Here’s a scientifically compiled list* of errors to avoid.

1. Its vs It’s:
   • It’s: Contracted version of “It is.” “It’s raining outside.” Never to be used as a possessive.
   • Its: The possessive version. “Its legs.” “Its number.” “Its diameter.”
2. Their vs There vs They’re:
   • Their: 3rd person possessive: “Their resemblance is very strong.”
   • There: Location, location, location. “Look over there.”
   • They’re: Contraction for “They are.” “They’re all sitting together.”
3. Your vs You’re:
   • Your: Possessive. “Your hands.” “Your feet.” “Your hair color.”
   • You’re: Contraction for “You are.” “You’re kidding!”
4. I vs Me:
   • I: Used for the subject of a sentence. “I came. I saw. I conquered.”
   • Me: Used for the the object. “Stanley called me.”
5. Who vs Whom: Same idea as for I and Me.
   • Who: Used for the subject of the sentence. “Who are you?” “Who broke my vase?”
   • Whom: Used for the object. “For whom are you calling?” “You’re talking to whom?”
6. Misusing Apostrophes:
   • Use apostrophes for Contractions: You’re. It’s. Don’t.
   • Use apostrophes for Possession: Sally’s. John’s.
7. Too Much Punctuation:
   • Multiple exclamation points or question marks are a no-no. Just use one. “Fire!” “Avalanche!” “What?” “Huh?”
   • In the case of ellipses, those three periods in a row denoting missing text or a trailing thought, use exactly that. Three. The only time you would use four would be if you finished a complete sentence but needed to show that there was more text to come. “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. …”

*Okay, this list is not really scientifically compiled. There may be other, worse mistakes being made this very minute. These are just the ones that I’ve noticed the most lately–in no particular sequence. We’ll just call them the top 7 on my own personal hit list.

Deb Boyken is a stickler for punctuation and grammar. She’s also a fantastic writer and copyeditor. You can find her over at Punctuality Rules.

Image courtesy of Happy Dave

We’ve asked the punctuationally minded Deb Boyken to join us a guest poster because most social media sites ask you to write – updates, blog posts, profile bios and more – and there’s nothing worse than putting your best foot forward, and then having to stuff it in your mouth because you have grammar issues. So…read and learn. She’s the master.

Lie vs Lay

The words lie and lay: how to tell them apart, and when (not) to use them.

“Lie” is an intransitive verb which doesn’t need to “act” on anything. It doesn’t need an object of any kind, and means “to recline or be placed.” So, when you’re tired, you lie down.

“Lay” is a transitive verb, which means that it needs some kind of object, and means “to put something down.” So, you can lay down a pen, or you can lay down the law, but you cannot simply lay down.

This isn’t that confusing, really. At bedtime, you lay the baby down in the crib and then go lie down on your own bed.

It’s the past tense that gets confusing. The past tense of “lay” is “laid,” but the past tense of “lie” is “lay.” So that, when you’ve had a sleepless night trying to keep this all straight, what you did was “lay awake” while tossing and turning.

(I completely agree that this part is confusing. But if the correct past tense were “lied” we’d get confused between whether we were tired or telling falsehoods, and lying about being tired would be that much harder and, well, anyway, this is what we’re stuck with.)

Now, I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning. I’m going to lay down my mouse and go lie down for a while….

Deb Boyken is a stickler for punctuation and grammar. She’s also a fantastic writer and copyeditor. You can find her over at Punctuality Rules.