20 Words Writers Screw Up Often

Misused words that negatively impact (or rather affect) your writing, as seen by an editor

While out on a hike the other day, the plantar fasciitis in my right heel kicked in, so I said to Mango, “Let’s head home. I don’t wanna go any further.” Mango is pretty good with English. She knows sit and stay, perks up instantly to walk, and I suspect she understands home. But I doubt she picked up on my improper word choice in this instance. I corrected myself anyway: “Farther,” I told her. “I don’t want to go any farther.”

I’m a writer. Words matter. Whether it’s important to teach a dog grammar is another story.

Regardless, my verbal slip reminded me how often I get words wrong, even when I know one from another, and how frequently I see misused words when I edit the writing of others. And so I made a list. It’s a somewhat snarky list, and not an exhaustive list. But I hope it has a positive effect on your writing, complementing your skills to help ensure you don’t appear as stupid as me. As I?

Affect vs. effect: The former is a verb, the latter a noun. There are exceptions, used with rather complex phrasing, IMO, but let’s be sure we first master the basics. If this newsletter post has any effect at all, I hope it affects your writing positively.

Can vs. may: You may write a story that I’d love to read, but can you? See, permission is granted — it’s up to you — but I have no clue whether you’ve got…