Criteria:
‘A criteria’ is a wrong expression. For, ‘criteria’ is plural. So, if you are wondering about the singular form, it is criterion.
Literally
As opposed to literary, literally is used when you are saying what you exactly meaning, without any analogy or metaphor.
Finally, there are pairs of words that confuse many of us beyond imagination. Here are a few of them:
Averse and Adverse
And the difference is not only in the‘d’. The first one means someone is unwilling or reluctant, while adverse stands for unfavorable.
Historical and Historic
Any important event can be termed historic. But a historical event must have some connection to the past, i.e. it must take place in the past. So, if your company takes up the number one slot in software engineering, it will be a historic event for sure. But, the formation of Microsoft will still remain a historical one.
Imply and Infer
When you suggest something subtly or indirectly, you imply. On the other hand, if you have reached a conclusion after sufficient information, the proper word to describe it would be ‘infer’. That means you are interpreting the message here.
Insure and Ensure
The first one is a financial scheme and unless you are talking about an insurance company, you are not using this word. On the other hand, ensure means to make sure about something. So, ensure that you use the words in appropriate situations.
Premier and Premiere
Premier is the prime or the most important person. However, premiere is the opening night of a show. So, you can be the premier person of your company; but to find yourself in the premiere of a movie is a different story.
Principle and Principal
Principal used as a noun is the person at the helm of an institution. So, you must meet the principal of your college if you have some serious business. If it is used as an adjective, it means the most important. Principle, on the other hand, is a noun that is a moral concern, code of conduct or a fundamental truth or rule. So, a principal may have some role to play in building up your principles, but they are not the same anyway.
Who and Whom
Well, this is basic grammar. Use ‘who’ for the subject and ‘whom’ for the object. If you are not quite sure about them, subject is that part of a sentence that does the action, while object is that part that receives the action. Thus, in the sentence ‘he drinks coca-cola’, he is the subject and coca-cola is the object. So, sentences like ‘Who has written this blog?’ or ‘Whom are you writing about’ make sense.
There is one thing to be kept in mind here. Sometimes, the use of ‘whom’ is not encouraged simply because it does not sound good. So, if such conditions arise, you should break the rule.
Your and You’re
The first one is a possessive noun and the second one is the shortened form for ‘You are’. So, make sure that your blog has the right syntax to express what you’re thinking about.
Its and It’s
Again, the first one is a possessive pronoun while the first one is the contraction of ‘it is’.
There and Their
There can be a place or a pronoun. However, ‘their’ is a possessive pronoun and used in ‘their bag’ etc.
Effect and Affect
Simply effect is the result and therefore is a noun. On the other hand, affect is a verb that indicates impact.
The dangling participle
The best way to get rid of them is to make a phrase modify what follows it.
In general, you should remember that a good writing should have a conversational tone. You can even break few strict grammatical rules if that ensures a lucid language. This is why most of the bloggers and good writers play with the articles and use modifiers to make their writings more effective. This is fair until the syntax is leading to some other meaning. For that, you have to be very careful about the following common mistakes.
