10 Common Errors “Spell Check” Won’t Catch
Its versus It’s (and all other apostrophes)
According to a copy editing instructor for California-based copy editing service provider Edicetera, confusing “its” and “it’s” is the most common error in the English language. That one minuscule apostrophe (or lack thereof) drastically changes the meaning of the entire sentence. “It’s” is a contraction of “it is,” whereas “its” refers to possession. Also, watch out for “your” versus “you’re.”
Sales versus Sails
Can you imagine writing on your resume that you “increased sails by 20 percent”?! Unless you’re applying to a job for a sail boat manufacturer, this careless mistake will probably get your resume sailing right into the recycling bin.
Affect versus Effect
There is a lot of confusion around this one but here’s the rule: “Affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun. It’s as simple as that.
Would Have NOT Would of
The subtlety in pronunciation leads to the rampant misuse of this phrase; however “would of” is never correct and may make you appear as if you are not well-read.
Through versus Threw
“He threw the ball through the window.” “Threw” is a verb and “through” is a preposition. And speaking of “through,” be careful to make sure you don’t actually mean “thorough” or vice versa. The slight variation in spelling will not be picked up by a computer, but writing “I am through” when you mean “I am thorough” is quite ironic, don’t you think?
Then versus Than
Six is more than five; after five then comes six. “Than” refers to a comparison, while “then” refers to a subsequent event.
Supposed To NOT Suppose To
“Suppose” is a verb, meaning to think or to ponder. The correct way to express a duty is to write, “I was supposed to…”
Wonder versus Wander
You can wander around while you wonder why “wander” and “wonder” have such different meanings, yet sound oh so similar.
Their versus There versus They’re
OK, once and for all: “Their” is possessive; “there” refers to distance; and “they’re” is a contraction of “they are.”
Farther versus Further
While both words refer to distance, grammarians distinguish “farther” as physical distance and “further” as metaphorical distance. You can dive further into a project, for instance, or you can dive farther into the ocean.
Dieser Artikel stand auf der Webseite:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/10-common-errors-spell-check-won-t-catch-2039083/#poll-86A687227A3211DF922CE2CA55AE989C
by Kaboodle.com, Donnerstag, 15 Juli 2010.
Tipps zum Englischlernen
Sie können viel selber tun, um Ihr Englisch zu verbessern.
Das muss gar nichts kosten und ist oft nur einen Mausklick entfernt
Geben Sie der Englischen Sprache Raum in Ihrem Alltag …
Insbesondere das Internet ist ein Füllhorn zur Verbesserung Ihrer Englischkenntnisse:
– Suchen Sie den Text Ihres Lieblingssongs im Internet.– Schauen Sie sich DVDs auf Englisch an und schalten Sie die deutschen Untertitel ein.
– Hören Sie, wenn Sie sowieso online sind, englisches Webradio ihrer Wahl im Hintergrund.
– Lesen Sie im Internet regelmässig eine Zeitung, die Ihnen gefällt.
– Suchen Sie Stammtische oder Foren mit Menschen, die Englisch sprechen.
Nachfolgend haben wir einige Links für Sie zusammengestellt, wir hoffen, es ist etwas für Sie dabei!
Spiele
BBC Worldservice
Learnenglish
Languagegames
Lesen
Bartleby
Times Online
Guardian
Independent
The Sun
The Economist
Time Out London
Stutler
Hören
BBC World Service
BBC Radio 4
Wörterbücher etc.
Leo
Merriam Webster
Internationale Zertifikate
Toefl
Cambridge
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