{"id":925,"date":"2011-10-17T18:49:57","date_gmt":"2011-10-18T02:49:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/?p=925"},"modified":"2019-05-30T12:30:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-30T19:30:50","slug":"the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"The 4 Deadly Grammar Sins of Content Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/grammar.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-935\" src=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/grammar.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/grammar.jpg 240w, https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/grammar-135x101.jpg 135w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/a>If you are not a writer, content writing can become a difficult task. Even ecommerce businesses must know some basic writing in order to create product descriptions and other pages of the website, not including blog posts, articles and other media to be distributed on the web.<\/p>\n<p>Thankfully, website content does not need to be ready for the New York Times best seller list, but it must be grammatically correct if businesses want to be viewed as professional and legitimate.<\/p>\n<p>When working with clients, I see the same grammar sins being committed time and time again.<\/p>\n<p>Though there are many, here are my top 4:<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_80 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/#1_Lose_vs_Loose\" >1. Lose vs. Loose<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/#2_Their_vs_There\" >2. Their vs. There<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/#3_Its_vs_Its\" >3. It\u2019s vs. Its<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/#4_Your_vs_Youre\" >4. Your vs. You\u2019re<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Lose_vs_Loose\"><\/span>1. Lose vs. Loose<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Which sentence is correct?<\/p>\n<p>This product will help you <strong>loose<\/strong> 10 pounds in one month.<br \/>\nThis product will help you <strong>lose<\/strong> 10 pounds in one month.<\/p>\n<p>The word \u201cloose\u201d refers to \u201cnot tight\u201d as in a loose belt. The word \u201close\u201d refers to being deprived of something as in \u201closing\u201d weight.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Their_vs_There\"><\/span>2. Their vs. There<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here are two examples:<\/p>\n<p>Did you see the number of grammatical errors on <strong>their<\/strong> website?<\/p>\n<p>This is the correct use of the word \u201ctheir\u201d because it is talking about more than one person and it is something<em> they <\/em>possess.<\/p>\n<p>Go <strong>there<\/strong> if you want the best prices.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u201d refers to a place or can be used as a pronoun (There is a place).<\/p>\n<p>If you need help deciding which one to use, ask yourself, \u201cAm I referring to something that belongs to a group of people?\u201d If so, use \u201ctheir\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Its_vs_Its\"><\/span>3. It\u2019s vs. Its<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Though this one is harder to spot, it should still be avoided.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s\u201d is simply a contraction of \u201cit is\u201d. \u201cIts\u201d is a possessive pronoun.<\/p>\n<p>The easiest method of figuring out which one is correct is to use \u201cit\u2019s\u201d and state the sentence out loud by replacing \u201cit\u2019s\u201d with \u201cit is\u201d. If the sentence sounds correct, you used the right word.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s<\/strong> looking like a rainy day outside. (If replaced with \u201cit is\u201d, the sentence still sounds correct)<br \/>\n<strong>It is<\/strong> looking like a rainy day outside.<\/p>\n<p>This website has lost <strong>it\u2019s<\/strong> ability to attract visitors. (Replacing with \u201cit is\u201d makes it sound incorrect, so &#8220;it\u2019s&#8221; is not the correct word).<br \/>\nThis website has lost <strong>it is<\/strong> ability to attract visitors.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Your_vs_Youre\"><\/span>4. Your vs. You\u2019re<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Though this error is one of the most common, it is also one of the easiest to avoid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re\u201d is a contraction of \u201cyou are\u201d, while \u201cyour\u201d is a possessive pronoun. Insert \u201cyou are\u201d in the sentence when using \u201cyou\u2019re\u201d and read it aloud to see if it fits. If not, you are using the wrong word.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re<\/strong> not using the correct grammar. (Inserting \u201cyou are\u201d still sounds correct)<br \/>\n<strong>You are<\/strong> not using the correct grammar.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re<\/strong> blog is full of grammar mistakes. (By inserting \u201cyou are\u201d, the sentence does not read correctly. Use &#8220;your&#8221; instead)<br \/>\n<strong>You are<\/strong> blog is full of grammar mistakes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Be Careful<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Is it possible to run an influential website or blog when it contains a few of these grammar mistakes? There is no hard fast rule, but from personal experience in this industry, I would put extra effort into crafting cleaner copy.<\/p>\n<p>When perusing businesses online, I have decided to avoid working with people who run websites that contain excessive grammar mistakes. Why? Here\u2019s what it says to me\u2026<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They did not take the extra time to correct the mistakes\u2026why would they take the extra time to make sure I was a valued customer?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>They did not hire a professional to write copy for their website. Are they not making enough money to hire a writer? They are probably not an established business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are concerned about building a valued reputation, pay attention to these simple grammar mistakes by taking a few extra minutes to review your copy. Avoiding these mistakes does not require a lot of work, but it can save you your reputation.<\/p>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n      {\n        \"@context\": \"http:\/\/schema.org\",\n        \"@type\": \"NewsArticle\",\n\t\"dateModified\": \"https:\/\/calendar.google.com\/calendar\/r\/day\/2019\/5\/29\",\n\t\"mainEntityOfPage\": \"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/2011\/10\/17\/the-4-deadly-grammar-sins-of-content-writing\/\",\n\"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Jenna Scaglione\"\n  },\n   \"publisher\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n    \"name\": \"Numinix Web Developers\",\n    \"logo\": {\n      \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/images\/banner_hero_clarity.png\"\n    }\n    },\n        \"headline\": \"The 4 Deadly Grammar Sins of Content Writing\",\n        \"datePublished\": \"2011-10-17T16:00:41Z\",\n        \"image\": [\n          \"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/web-design.jpg\"\n        ]\n      }\n    <\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are not a writer, content writing can become a difficult task. Even ecommerce businesses must know some basic writing in order to create product descriptions and other pages of the website, not including blog posts, articles and other media to be distributed on the web. Thankfully, website content does not need to be&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[369,255,370],"class_list":["post-925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-miscellaneous","tag-content-writing","tag-ecommerce","tag-grammar-mistakes"],"modified_by":"Numinix Developer","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/241"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.numinix.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}