English Grammar for the Utterly Confused - Laurie Rozakis 2003
Improve Your Writing, One Step at a Time
Chapter 6 The 25 Most Common Usage Problems
Part 2 Usage and Abusage
How can you use the previous 25 guidelines to improve your writing? Try these ideas:
1. Don’t try to master all the rules of grammar and usage at once; it’s both futile and frustrating.
2. Instead, listen to the comments your readers mention when they discuss your writing.
3. Keep track of the writing errors you make by checking your own work against the guidelines. Review this checklist every time you write an important document. To isolate your most common writing errors, select several pieces of your writing, such as memos, letters, or reports.
• Read the documents you selected for analysis several times.
• Circle all the errors you find. Don’t panic if you can’t identify each type of error at this point. Just do the best you can.
• Ask a friend or family member to read the documents and find additional errors.
• Count up the number of errors in each category.
• Reread the chapters that explain your specific writing problems.
• Concentrate on these areas as you write.
4. Be patient. Learning the rules takes both time and effort. Remember that using standard grammar with confidence will help you build the credible image you want—and need.
