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I wouldn’t really classify myself as a Grammar Nazi, because I don’t troll social media correcting spelling and grammar in people’s statuses and comments. (It pains me to ignore them sometimes, but it’s just social media.) However, people who write for a living should know better. Many, many times I have started reading a new blog that I found via Pinterest, only to click away before finishing the first paragraph because it was full of spelling errors or using words incorrectly. How you right is just as important as what you write. See what I did there? 😉 I’m certain I have errors here and there on my own blog, and no one is perfect, but learning and applying a few basic rules will improve your writing and present a more professional voice to your readers (and sponsors). Check out these seven grammar mistakes that may be costing you readers right now!
1. Affect vs. Effect
Affect: verb, used with objects
1. To act on, produce an effect or change in: Cold weather affected the crops.
2. To impress the mind or move the feelings of: The music affected him deeply.
Effect: noun
1. Something that is produced by an agency or cause; result; efficacy; force; validity; influence: His protest had no effect.
Affect is a verb (an action) so you can’t say , “This had a big affect on me.” Please, just don’t! 
You could say, “It affected me.” It’s a little tricky, and you may even need to double check if you commonly get them mixed up, but paying attention to detail goes a long way in winning the confidence of your readers.
2. Loose vs. Lose
Loose: adjective
3. There, They’re, Their and You’re, Your
These are so common and I’m pretty sure everyone knows how to use them properly, but we often let our fingers run faster than our brains. 🙂 But just in case: They’re looking at their favorite photo over there. You’re going to be happy when you get your package in the mail.
4. Anxious vs. Eager
Anxious: adjective
1. Full of mental distress or uneasiness
Anxious means to look forward to with dread. So it’s really not correct to say you’re anxiously awaiting a package in the mail, or a visit from family (unless you really don’t like them.) 🙂 You are anxious about an upcoming test and eager to spend time with friends.
5. Good vs. Well
This is one I catch myself using incorrectly all the time.
Good is an adjective while well is an adverb answering the question how. Sometimes well also functions as an adjective pertaining to health. You did a good job. Good describes job, which is a noun, so good is an adjective.
You did the job well.
Well is an adverb describing how the job was performed.
I feel well.
Well is an adjective describing I.
6. Then vs. Than
Than is used for comparison. “I like chocolate better than peanut butter.”
Then is for everything else. It’s usually used to denote time or order. “First, I will write this post. Then, I will publish it.”
7. Accept vs. Except
Accept: verb (used with object)
1. To take or receive something offered: I accept your lovely gift.
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Kimberly says
Great post! Too bad this isn’t honed in on in school. Well, it was when I went to school in the 70’s.
Nicole Burkholder says
The curriculum that I grew up using was very strong on grammar. I’m glad I had a good foundation to build on!
Meg O. says
One thing that got me recently was an improper use of an apostrophe. There was an event promoted as “Mom’s Night Out” – so only one mom was invited?? Just irked me sooooooooooooooo much.
Gailyc Braunstein says
Grammar mistakes drive me crazy, which is why grammarly.com is one of my favorite sites! As well as those you listed, I have two more that set my teeth on edge: (I) I need to BREATHE, so I’m taking a BREATH; (ii) get versus have. No matter how many times I explain it to the young people in my life, they still don’t understand that nobody “gets” surgery; they “have” it. “Get” is an active verb, “have” is a passive one. Aargh!!
Nicole Burkholder says
Oh, those are both great! So many people mix up the breathe/breath spelling! It sounds like have vs get is your version of anxious vs eager for me. 🙂
Andrea Yancey Reyes says
This post could be more appropriately titled “7 Grammar Mistakes That Could Cost You Your Life”. These should be plastered on the sides of computer monitors everywhere. Thank you for this post.
Nicole Burkholder says
Ha! Tell us how you really feel! 🙂
Dana says
Loose for lose is one of my biggest pet peeves. My dad sends me an email if he notices an error in my blog, because he knows how much they drive me nuts!
Nicole Burkholder says
I always tell my family PLEASE text me if you see any mistakes!! 🙂
Stephanie says
I can’t stand when people mix up borrow & lend. I have a friend that says “I’ll borrow that book to you sometime.” Ugh!
I’m so glad I’m not the only grammar nerd!
Nicole Burkholder says
Haha! I have to say, I’ve never heard that one before. Maybe it’s a regional thing. I used to hear “Leave me be” a lot in the Midwest, but not so much out here in CA. Grammar nerds unite! 🙂
PatriciaD says
I think it is a regional thing. At least in Minnesota I heard that, “I’ll borrow you my…” all the time and it drove me crazy.
Adelina Priddis says
I’m still smiling from the peanuts comic.
The only one I know I struggle with is than and then. For some reason I can’t make myself remember which is which. The Should of….argh! That one I always cringe at. There’s another similar to it but I can’t remember now.
Something I’ve been coming across in just the last year though is interchanging Sale and Sell. It’s so bad that I can’t even make myself use it in a sentence for an example. Just don’t do it.
Nicole Burkholder says
When in doubt, check it out. 🙂 As for “sale” and “sell” I have been hearing and seeing that more lately, too! I think we are lazy when we speak and don’t pronounce things correctly. Then it just migrates to written/typed words. Like “prolly” instead of probably or “supposably” instead of supposedly. Ick.
Roberta says
People often lose me when they write “definately”… Ugh. That’s the worst! It’s not a word! Hehe
Nicole Burkholder says
That’s probably my #1 spelling error pet peeve. Just a simple spell check would catch that!!! Also “defiantly” which means something completely different. 🙂
Roberta says
Agreed!!!
Regan says
I admit that I judge people based on their grammar and spelling. If a blog repeatedly makes mistakes then I can no longer take them seriously and move on. A mistake here and there is human and even I, a self professed grammar nerd, will be on a roll and blindly (which I just accidentally typed as blondly, lol) type the wrong form of there/their/they’re even though I know better. A spell check won’t always catch it so I will cut them some slack but after a little while it becomes obvious when someone just doesn’t know the difference. My biggest pet peeve is apostrophe misuse.
Nicole Burkholder says
It’s a fair assessment of someone as a writer. It annoys me on other platforms, like social media, but that’s not “professional” space, so I let it go. But if you want someone to take you seriously, you need to sound like you know what you’re talking about! I will let one or two mistakes slide, but more than that will make me click away and never come back. Attention to detail means something is important to you!
Debbie @ Live from La Quinta says
Thanks for this. Poor grammar and bad spelling drive me crazy and will definitely cause me to stop reading. I know that we all make mistakes, but if you’re going to write for the public, please take the time to proofread, and when in doubt check it out.
Nicole Burkholder says
There’s no shame in using a dictionary or thesaurus. 🙂 It’s better to spend a little more time making sure things are correct than to drive people away without even realizing it!
Corlie says
I remember our English teacher at school used to say lose is different to loose because it held the second “o” too loosely so it lost it 😉
Nicole Burkholder says
That’s a great way to remember it! I may have to edit the post to include that 🙂
Yvonne I. Wilson says
Thanks for the awareness through this post and encouraging us all to be more careful. I majored in English back in high school but I am sure today that grammar mistakes would be found on my blog or in my other writing. I do use spell check a lot, and although I do not get someone else to proof read my blog post, I do it at work before submitting documents etc. I’ve pinned this.
Have a great day! Stopping by from SITS.
Nicole Burkholder says
You are so welcome! Thanks for visiting. I know no one is perfect, and I’m not claiming to be, but I find it so discouraging to see other bloggers making such simple mistakes and costing themselves traffic! I proofread my own posts, too, so I’m sure I miss things now and then. I’ve found that reading a post out loud will help me catch mistakes.
Elizabeth says
I must admit that I really try with grammar. I think it is important. I do have a pet peeve about those who publicly correct others for making grammar mistakes (Facebook, one-on-one, etc). I think that is worse than someone making a mistake. I don’t feel that is what you did here, by the way. These are great tips and I appreciate your post! Good to know and I must admit that I have to always think when I use affect vs. effect. Thank you!! 🙂
Nicole Burkholder says
I agree. It’s a bit rude to correct someone. That’s why I wrote this post-there are so many blogs I’ve clicked away from never to return because I can’t handle slogging through all the spelling and grammar errors. But I would never tell them that! However, this was one way to remind us all to be careful without making anyone feel bad. 🙂
DrJulieAnn - The Modern Retro Woman says
I, too, stop reading blogs where basic grammar and spelling are not followed. Yes, we all make mistakes on our blogs but my over-educated soul can’t bear (vs. bare, which puts things in a completely different perspective) the butchering of the language. I read blogs for enjoyment. I don’t want to feel like I’m grading my students’ papers 🙂
Janice says
Oh boy! This is a touchy subject, but a necessary one. I think a lot of grammar mistakes are happening (or being overlooked) because of “auto correct” on the multitude of devices people are using to write. I can’t tell you how many times I have proof read something I wrote, clicked published, and then was horrified to find two grammar mistakes I assumed the computer corrected.
Great post!
Christina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life says
Oh Nicole! You hit on a big one for me here. I have an English degree and although I try to be conversational on my blog, poor grammar drives me crazy. I think we all get in a hurry and miss things on our blogs, but some folks make the same mistakes over and over. I lose interest in their blogs right away. My daughter has a bad habit of saying “Mines”. “Don’t take that cookie. It is mines.” Drives me crazy and is completely wrong. I actually read a blog that used it over and over. I was shocked.
Nicole Burkholder says
Some words are tough to spell, or can be confusing, like affect vs effect. But the words that aren’t even words?!? Supposably. Prolly. Anyways. I could on and on. I write conversationally as well, so I’m not following “research paper” grammar rules, but I still do my best to use proper spelling and actual words! 🙂 It hurts to me read social media mistakes, but that’s just people talking. However, a blogger should certainly know better! Especially if they want to get paid!
Regan says
Anyways is another pet peeve of mine. To make me crazy my husband will say it with a wink along with irregardless. He loves watching me squirm
Nicole Burkholder says
Ha! You just sent shivers down my spine. 🙂 There were so many things I could have added to this post, but 7 seemed like a good number. Any longer, and I was going to start ranting and drive away my own readers. 🙂
Crystal Duncan (@FindingCrystal) says
I love this. I have a BA in English. I also try not to go around correcting everyone.
Nicole Burkholder says
It’s so hard! 🙂 I can let things slide in conversation, but reading it on a “professional” blog just kills me! And turns me off to the site completely.
Emily says
Love this! Although sometimes I still have to do a quick google search of certain words when I have a brain fart. It’s not a big pet peeve of mine though!
Stopping by from Lets Get Real Blog Hop! Have a great weekend!!
Nicole Burkholder says
I do, too! That’s better than doing it wrong! 🙂
KC Kahn the Kitchen Chopper says
Pet Peeve of mine: Inserting “like” into every other word in a sentence. Not only in verbal conversation but now I see it in the written word. It’s worrisome because it’s not only “kids” speaking in this way, it’s the parents too! Thanks Nicole and I’ll see you around! 🙂
Nicole Burkholder says
I know, like, right? 😉
Jen says
I could have (could of) written this myself! I am on the same wavelength as you. I hate it when I read a blog I love and I see typos and grammatical errors.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m glad to find out I’m not the only one!
Susan says
Thank you! I am right their (lol, I know it’s there) with you.
Gaye @CalmHealthySexy says
Hi Nicole – I’m a bit of a grammar Nazi too, but I try to keep most of my thoughts to myself! In addition to the pet peeves you mentioned, I dislike excessive use of passive voice and of verbs-turned-into-nouns! In other words, “Errors were made during the transfer of my blog to WordPress, and loss of photos resulted!” No! “I messed up and lost my photos when I transferred my blog to WordPress!” On the other hand, I know I use too many dashes in my writing, which probably drives some people crazy! lol
Nicole Burkholder says
Passive voice takes US out of the equation, so we don’t sound like we messed up. 🙂 I didn’t even start on all the punctuation pet peeves, like 58 !!!!! after every sentence. 🙂 My husband liberally sprinkles commas everywhere, except where they actually should be. Ha! No one is perfect, but something as simple as using the correct WORD makes a huge difference. Honestly, I click away and never go back if I hit more than two or three errors in a post. It may sound harsh, but if they don’t pay attention to detail, why should I listen to what they have to say?
Wendy says
I anxiously read you’re post so I would be more except able to my readers. Well job!!
Nicole Burkholder says
Oh that was just painful! 🙂
Linda Stewart says
My web-site is under construction, as my computer and phone were recently hacked. I am very serious about spelling and grammar in my writings. If unsure I will look it up. Like website, which it’s correct? A proofreader showed me the hyphen but I see it everywhere as one word. So which is correct? I just want you to know I identify with your thoughts, it sure will ruin a blog. My grammar needs improvement for sure.
Nicole Burkholder says
Website is one of those words that has worked it’s way into our everyday language and is acceptable without the hyphen. It’s just like the work “blog” which was short for web log years ago. 🙂