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| Bitmoji Me |
I like to think of business writing as your avatar. It represents you when you are not around.
Even in the day of acronyms, abbreviations and text-speak, spelling counts! And even with spell-check in place, some words are easily confused, and thus, misspelled.
1. It's is only a contraction of it + is. It's never possessive. Ever.
2. Fewer applies only to things you can count (for example, fewer cars) whereas less applies to things you cannot count, like sugar.
I'd like less sugar in my coffee. (You could say fewer only if you are referring to fewer grains of sugar and that would just be weird.)
3. Lose or loose? When you lose something, you lose an O.
4. i.e. or e.g.?
I. e. = that is. Latin: id est. Use i.e. interchangeably with the word specifically.
E.g. = for example (think: eggzample). Latin: exempli gratia .
5. There is a place. There is a chair over there. Their is the possessive form of they. It's their chair. They're is a contraction of they + are. They're tired of these silly examples.
6. Your is the possessive form of you. It's your choice. You're is a contraction of you + are. You're expected to know the difference.
7. A lot is just that, a lot (think of a parking lot). Allot is to assign a portion. Alot is a misspelling in either case.
8. Affect or effect?
Affect is a verb; it indicates action and change. (A is for action.)
This post might affect your spelling.
Effect is a noun; think of cause and effect.
Appearing smarter might be an effect of this post. 😉
...Except every so often effect is a verb meaning to make something happen... and honestly, that one still confuses me.