Some of the words I mix up the most
are lie, lay, laid, etc. I have never been able to fully understand which one
is used in a certain tense and what differs between them. I found a very
helpful grid on how to tell them apart:
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to
memorize which version is used when, but finding pictures and helpful hints is
very helpful. Something I also like to do when there are words I mix up or
don't understand, is look them up. I compare their definitions and find
examples of them used in sentences. Doing this helps me see the differences in
their meanings and I am able to understand how and when they are used.
The editing mistake I found this week was from a Yahoo article about the tragedy that occurred in Las Vegas on October 1st. The article had several misspelled words and they were all pretty simple words. In the section of the article I posted, you'll see that the first word, "is," should actually be "if." The second word, "told," should actually be "sold." I was surprised to see so many short words misspelled in an article that a lot of people probably read.
I confuse lie and lay all the time. I hope that I will be able to keep them straight one of these days, though I doubt I will ever be able to use them without looking them up.
ReplyDeleteLie and lay are definitely confusing! I think I have it figured out, but I still say the wrong one all the time. On a positive note, at least I recognize that it's the wrong one?
ReplyDeleteI am also surprised at the lack of editing on a Yahoo article. I've come to expect the everyday person writing their Facebook status to have spelling and grammar errors. But I do have a higher standard for organizations that purport to be "news sources."