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I didn't want to be That Guy but I'm gonna be That Guy.
Here are some common grammatical mistakes/confusions that I've been seeing lately and how to avoid them
"Apart" VS "A Part"
➽ If you're Apart from something, you are not involved with it. You're separated from that something. The word is an adverb (a word that modifies a verb) which means "Away from one another" or that indicates distance, separation, and independence.
Examples of when to use "apart":
- "I can't tell my baby cousins apart, they're identical twins."
- "The old textbook was falling apart and pages began to scatter across the library floor."
- "We used to spend every minute together, but over time we grew apart. We rarely hang out anymore"
➽ If you're A Part of something, you are involved with it. It is a noun phrase literally meaning one out of many parts.
Examples of when to use "a part":
- "I am a part of the school play, I get to be Tree #4!"
- "I don't want to be a part of that team, they don't play fair."
- "Do you want a part of my sandwich?"
"Then" VS "Than"
➽ The word "Then" is used when you're talking about time.
Examples:
- "I went to get my hair cut, then I went grocery shopping."
- "First comes love, then comes marriage..."
- "If I knew then what I knew now, I wouldn't have had my little accident."
➽ The word "than" is used for comparisons.
Examples:
- "Better late than never."
- "Two heads are better than one!"
- "I like the color yellow more than the color red."
"Who's" VS "Whose"
➽ "Who's" is a contraction of "Who Is" or "Who Has."
Examples:
- "Who's coming to the party tonight?"
- "Timmy, who's 6 feet tall, plays on the high school basketball team."
- "Who's got the sunscreen?"
➽ "Whose" indicates possession. It's pretty common to think that adding 's to the end of a word is how you make it possessive, but "whose" is a possessive pronoun. Think of words like his, hers, theirs, its. Those are possessive pronouns, and none of them use an apostrophe.
Examples:
- "Whose bag is this?"
- "Whose clues? Blue's clues!"
"Less" VS "Fewer"
➽ "Less" is often used when referring to quantity or amount of a thing, or when a number is measured rather than counted. There are a few exceptions to this rule.
Examples:
- "I have less time these days than I used to."
- "Due to his experience and training, it took less effort for him to complete the task."
- "She had less trouble assembling the furniture after watching the tutorial video."
Examples with the Exceptions:
- "The textbox allowed 32 characters or less."
- "In less than three miles, turn right."
- "After taking out the trash, she had one less worry for the day."
➽ "Fewer" is often used when a number is counted rather than measured
Examples:
- "He had fewer fries than I did because he ordered a smaller size."
- "I want fewer options so I can quickly make my decision."
- "There were fewer people signed up for the math club than there were for the cooking club."
"Would Of," "Should Of," and "Could Of"
➽ The words you're looking for are "would've," "should've" and "could've" which are contractions of "would have," "should have," and "could have" respectively.
Examples:
- "I would've stopped by if I knew you were working that day!"
- "You should've known better."
- "The baby could've choked if their grapes weren't cut into smaller pieces."
"Aloud" VS "Allowed"
➽ "Aloud" is an adverb meaning "with the normal tone and volume of the speaking voice," "vocally, as distinguished from mentally," or "with a loud voice; loudly."
Examples:
- "The student was told to read the passage aloud so the class could hear."
- "They could not speak aloud in the library."
➽ "Allowed" is the past tense of "allow," referring to having the permission/authorization to do something
Examples:
- "I was not allowed to participate in the competition, so I sat on the side and watched."
- "His mother allowed him to stay up an extra 30 minutes before going to bed."
"Famous" VS "Infamous"
➽ "Famous" means to be well known, often used in a positive way. The opposite of Famous is "unknown," "obscure," and "nameless."
Examples:
- "The celebrity was famous for his outstanding role in the big movie."
- "She hoped to be a famous artist someday and wanted everyone to love her paintings.
➽ "Infamous" means to be well known for something bad, having a poor reputation, disgraceful. It is not the opposite of famous, since it still involves being well-known.
Examples:
- "Jack was infamous on the college campus for the stunt he had pulled at a frat party last semester. The cops were called and everything!"
- "I had to politely decline her infamous meatloaf. She's the only one in the family who actually likes it."
"Mock" VS "Mach"
➽ Mock can mean "to treat with contempt or ridicule," or "to imitate (someone or something) closely." Not to be confused with the term "mock-up," which is a model or sample of something for display or review.
Examples:
- "Don't mock me!"
- "He mocked the politician he saw on TV by doing an impression of them."
➽ Mach is defined as "a usually high speed expressed by a Mach number." It is pronounced like "mock," which is probably where the confusion comes from.
Examples:
- "The alien spaceship was going Mach speed, it looked like a blur in the night sky."
"Wary" VS "Weary"
➽ Wary means to be cautious, on guard, or watchful about something.
Examples:
- "Be wary of strangers, you don't know what their intentions are."
- "I was wary of the old machine. I kept an eye on it since I was afraid it might break down."
➽ Weary means to be tired and fatigued.
Examples:
- "She was weary after deep-cleaning the house. Moving around and scrubbing all day took a toll on her."
- "Rest your weary eyes."
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