Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Hilarious typos (and how to avoid them). Why do we 'take' a walk?

Aug 15, 2023

Learn about hilarious typos and tips to avoid them, including examples from the Bible. Discover the world of 'light verbs' and why we use 'take' and 'give' in certain phrases. Also, a heartwarming dog rescue story.

16:56

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Quick takeaways

Proofreading is essential to catch typos and avoid embarrassing mistakes, and there are various strategies like having fresh eyes read your work and using text-to-speech tools to aid in finding errors.

The concept of light verbs reveals how English language evolves to convey nuanced distinctions and adds flexibility by allowing for various combinations of actions and objects without the need for dedicated verbs for each combination.

Deep dives

Tips for Proofreading

Proofreading is essential to catch typos and avoid embarrassing or costly mistakes. One tip is to have someone else read your work, as fresh eyes can catch errors you might miss. Autocorrect can also be helpful for common typos or words you consistently misspell. It's important to pay attention to names, as spellcheck won't catch misspelled names. Printing out your work can also help you spot errors, as can giving yourself some time away from the text. Reading your work out loud or using text-to-speech tools can aid in finding mistakes. Physical interaction with your words, like touching each word as you go or changing the font and margins, can trick your brain into seeing the text fresh. Proofreading multiple times, separating editing tasks, and using a checklist can further enhance your proofreading process.

Introduction

4min

Proofreading Tips and Techniques

6min

Educational Online Learning Programs for Kids: IXL and Rosetta Stone

5min

Understanding Light Verbs and Their Role in English

3min

A Heartwarming Dog Rescue Story

2min

941. Whether you've been betrayed by autocorrect or your own fingers, almost everyone has made embarrassing typos. Even the Bible isn't immune: typos led to an old version called the "Sinners Bible"! We have more hilarious examples and, better yet, some tips to help you catch those terrible typos in the future.. Plus, we explore the fascinating world of "light verb" and why we say we "take" a walk and "give" a presentation, even though we aren't really taking or giving anything.

The light verbs segment was written by Edwin L. Battistella, who taught linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he served as a dean and as interim provost. His books include Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others?, Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology, and Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump. It originally appeared on the OUP blog and is included here with permission. Read the original.

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/proofreading-tips/transcript

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