The Great Typo Hunt_ Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time - Jeff Deck [118]
Restaurant, cappuccino, independent, definitely, Sahara Desert …
Genus: Agreement Errors
Species: Article/Noun Disagreement
HOW TO SPOT—Article/Noun Disagreements are mischievous imps that specialize in tripping up the tongue. The wrong choice of a v. an before a noun will sound funny.
a apple
an banana
HOW TO HANDLE—To make a/an agree with the noun it precedes, you want to avoid a double-consonant or double-vowel sound. If the noun begins with a vowel sound, it takes an (which ends with a consonant sound) in front of it; if it begins with a consonant, it takes a (a vowel sound). This is why words beginning with a silent h also take an. The sound combination makes the words flow together better when spoken.
an apple
a banana
Species: Subject/Verb Disagreement
HOW TO SPOT—Subject/Verb Disagreements sow discord between the two most important parts of a sentence. They are tricksters that cause a singular noun to wind up with a plural-form verb, or vice versa.
The lime are tasty.
Lemons is good for you.
HOW TO HANDLE—Don’t let your nouns make the wrong choice for their verb mates, or things are likely to get nasty. If the noun is singular, be sure that the verb that goes along with it is in singular form as well; if the noun is plural, give it a plural-form verb.
The lime is tasty.
Lemons are good for you.
Bonus: Style and Savvy
Care and Feeding of the Common Comma
When it comes to clarity of communication, commas are vital companions. An omitted comma in a list will cause confusion (such as the perplexing item in the middle of this shopping list: “bread, lasagna, turkey carrots, milk, O.J.”). An extraneous comma can change the meaning of a sentence entirely (“Give me a piece of that apple, cobbler”).
However, to stop at the comma’s purely technical usage is to discredit the surprising power of this humble breed of punctuation. Commas can be a marker of an individual writer’s style and voice just as surely as the words she is using. When you want the reader to rush through sentences, use commas sparingly. When a more leisurely, intricate pace is called for, plant more commas. Wherever you’d like the reader to take a breath, deploy a comma. You are shaping the voice the reader hears in his head.
The Art of Editing
It’s a good policy to go back and read over what you’ve written. You’ll easily spot true typographical errors, and you’re likely to spot other mistakes, too. A general check is helpful not only for catching misspellings or grammatical mistakes, but also for enhancing general readability. The first look back is a chance to ensure that your text says what you want it to, which is about more than just catching technical errors. Were you clear in what you meant? Is your message easy to follow?
Reading through your work again after that first technical edit, you can scrutinize your sentences and sharpen your message. This next edit is more focused on technique and style as you refine phrasing and word choice. There’s no such thing as a perfect first draft, just as in writing there’s no single “right” answer; use a second edit (or more!) to improve the clarity and power of your words.
References
“Albany Tulip Festival in Washington Park.” Albany.com, http://www.albany.com/news/tulip-festival.cfm
Amador, Xavier. I’m Right, You’re Wrong, Now What?: Break the Impasse and Get What You Need. New York: Hyperion, 2008.
Associated Press. “Grammar Police Punished for ‘Fixing’ Rare Sign.” MSNBC (and elsewhere), August 22, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26351328/
———. “Iowa College Apologizes for Offensive Typo.” MSNBC, September 25, 2008. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26891761/
Ayres, Ian. Super Crunchers: