Common Mistakes Writers Make by Mary McWilliams Johnson        For whatever it's worth, I have jotted down six mistakes writers make over and over again--even experienced writers and journalists (especially TV and radio newscasters). Yes, even the "professionals" do violence to our language every day. Which makes me worry that people who see these aberrations in print (or hear them on the airwaves) are going to think it's all right to go right on "aberrating" in kind. My contention is that professional writers and anyone who wants his/her writings to appear professional should continually seek guidance from style manuals and grammar guides. It's hard to know everything, even if you're a Rhodes scholar, and styles do change over time. We should not take comfort from the fact that others mangle the language and get away with it. Subject and Verb Don't Agree        I wince when I hear a network announcer say something like, "Neither of the two leading candidates have won a clear majority." The subject of the sentence is neither, which is singular; therefore, the correct verb is has. Here are several situations where some writers might be tempted to use a plural verb; but of course you wouldn't make such mistakes. Neither John nor Mary is to blame. Jim or one of his friends started the rumor. When a compound subject is joined by or or nor, the subject remains singular. In the second sentence, don't be confused by the prepositional phrase "of his friends" that comes just before the verb. One of the entrants from the parochial schools is expected to win the contest. "From the parochial schools" is a prepositional phrase; the subject is one. Any of a number of solutions is likely to work. "Of a number" and "of solutions" are prepositional phrases; the subject is any. Each of the soldiers has received a decoration. The subject is each, not soldiers. Making Inappropriate Comparisons        The crime of inappropriate comparisons is committed daily by the advertising fraternity and the broadcast industry. Fortunately, when a professional writer sees such words on paper, he or she usually catches the error. A network announcer, reporting on insurance rates, said that one company's rates were the "highest of any insurance company." Sorry, but that can't be. Their rates could be higher than those of any other insurance company or the highest of all, but not highest of any, since any implies any ONE. Advertisers often say their product is the "best of any." Nothing can be the best of any, since (again) any implies any one. The product can be the best of all or better than any other. Using Infer and Imply Incorrectly        Here's a case where constant misuse of a word has just about made its incorrect use acceptable. People constantly say, "Do you infer that I was to blame?" when they mean, "Do you imply..." Infer means "conclude or judge from premises or evidence." Imply means "to indicate or suggest as something naturally to be inferred." A correct use of infer would be, "I infer from your comments that you think I was to blame." (Implying is something the talker or writer does; inferring is something the listener or reader does.) Using Oral and Verbal Incorrectly        If you have erred on this one, you're in good company since almost everyone talks about a "verbal agreement" when they mean an "oral agreement." After all, verbal means "of or pertaining to words." Every agreement, written or spoken, is a verbal agreement since it consists of words. The only way to distinguish an agreement not committed to paper is to call it an "oral agreement." The same goes for "verbal instructions," "verbal argument," etc. (I'll have to admit this is somewhat academic since everyone seems to have consented - however wrongly - that oral and verbal are the same thing.) Suffering from Hyphenphobia        It's strange, but the tiny little hyphen seems to make grown men quake in terror. Somehow, people think that hyphens are something to be feared and avoided. Such deprived individuals never had anyone to reveal the important fact that correctly placed hyphens make text much easier to read! If you habitually leave out hyphens simply because you don't know when and where to put the darn things, take a look at "Overcoming Hyphenphobia." You'll never look at hyphens the same way again! Putting Quotation Marks in the Wrong Place        Even though you may sometimes see commas and periods outside quotation marks in printed material, the best style guides maintain an ironclad rule: Periods and commas go inside quotation marks Colons and semicolons go outside. Question marks and exclamation marks go inside or outside, depending on whether they belong to the quotation. Examples: He said, "I love you." She swooned. "I'll take bacon and eggs," she said briskly. "It's quitting time," she said, "but I have twenty more pages to type." Did he say, "Four score and seven years ago"? He asked, "When do I get a raise?" He yelled, "Stop that car!"

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