Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm started posting here back in 2010 as a way not only to point common grammar and usage errors, but also as a way to dive deeper into them myself herself and learn precisely the correct way of using our English language.
Over the years, Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm has taken on a life of her own. Sometimes she’s bossy. Sometimes she’s cranky.
Here are some of her greatest hits. Feel free to shout out other errors you’d like to see her tackle!
Loose vs. Lose
Loose: Not fitting tightly. Relaxed.
Lose: Cease to have something; misplace an object.
These two words are commonly used incorrectly.
SENTENCES
Correct: I never fail to lose my keys.
Incorrectly: I never fail to loose my keys.
Correct: The loser of this match will not advance to the finals.
Incorrect: The looser of this match will not advance to the finals.
Affect vs. Effect
Affect: Verb. To have influence on. To have an effect on.
Effect: Noun. A change that is a result or consequence of a cause.
These two words are commonly swapped incorrectly.
SENTENCES
Correct: The cloudy weather continued to negatively affect her mood.
Incorrect: The cloudy weather continued to negatively effect her mood.
Correct: Serious addiction can leave a lasting effect on one’s friends and family.
Incorrect: Serious addiction can leave a lasting affect on one’s friends and family.
(Note that while “affect” can be used as a noun (usually in psychology) and “effect” can be used as a verb (as in “we wanted to effect [bring about] change”) for the purposes of this lesson, we’re dealing with “affect” as a verb and “effect” as a noun.)
Affect = VERB: The chaps affected me deeply.
Effect = NOUN: The chaps left a lasting effect.
Your vs. You’re
Your - possessive – Belonging to the person the speaker is addressing.
You’re – contraction of “you” and “are”
SENTENCES
Correct: You’re heading in the right direction.
Incorrect: Your heading in the right direction.
Correct: Your slip is showing.
Incorrect: You’re slip is showing.
(Note: the first example above is an example of the most common misuse of “your.”)
***The Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm has been known to threaten to take away her children’s phones if they incorrectly use “your” in a text. She’s brutal that way.
It’s vs. Its
It’s: Contraction of “It is.”
Its: Possessive adjective. Associated with or belonging to something previously mentioned.
These two words are often swapped incorrectly. The apostrophe in it’s is often a source of confusion, causing many to believe that it conveys possession.
SENTENCES
Correct: It’s getting colder outside.
Incorrect: Its getting colder outside.
Correct: The kitten licked its paw.
Incorrect: The kitten licked it’s paw.
(A helpful trick is to substitute “it is” for “it’s” just to see if it makes sense. In the example above, “The kitten licked it is paw” doesn’t work, so you’d know to use “its.”)
It’s = It is.
Its = Possessive adjective. Says something belongs to something or someone.
Insure vs. Ensure
Insure: Verb. Arrange, through payments to a company or agency, for future compensation in the event of damage to or loss of property, injury, or death.
Ensure: Verb. Make sure something will be the case.
The word insure is often incorrectly used in place of ensure. Understandably so—both words have to do with “making sure” or “making certain.” Insure, however, generally refers to a specific financial arrangement one enters into with a company in order to protect against future loss, while ensure is more of an “assurance” (to confuse you further!) that something will be the case.
SENTENCES
Correct: She made plans to insure both her home and barn against fire and flood damage.
Incorrect: She made plans to ensure both her home and barn against fire and flood damage.
Correct: The TSA has procedures in place to ensure the safety of the American flying public.
Incorrect: The TSA has procedures in place to insure the safety of the American flying public. (This is the most common type of error.)
Combo Platter: The father resolved to insure the home in order to ensure that his family would be taken care of if disaster struck.
SUMMARY
Insure = Financially protect against future loss, injury, or death
Ensure = Make sure something is the case
Wary vs. Weary
Wary: Feeling caution or concern about possible dangers or problems
Weary: Feeling or showing tiredness or exhaustion
The word weary is often incorrectly used in place of wary.
SENTENCES
The cat was wary of most people who came into the house.
The cat was weary after a long day of chasing mice.
Correct: Because she’d been burned before, the woman was very wary of entering into any more business partnerships.
Incorrect: Because she’d been burned before, the woman was very weary of entering into any more business partnerships.
Correct: I’m generally wary of strangers.
Incorrect: I’m generally weary of strangers.
SUMMARY
Wary = Cautious or concerned
Weary = Tired or exhausted
Phase vs. Faze
Phase: |fāz| (noun) – a distinct period or stage in a process. “She is in the final phase of her divorce.”
Faze: |fāz| (verb) – to disturb or disconcert. “Curiously, her impending divorce did not seem to faze her.”
Phase is often incorrectly used in place of faze.
SENTENCES
Correct: After the terrible year he’d had, a measly flat tire wasn’t about to faze him.
Incorrect: After the terrible year he’d had, a measly flat tire wasn’t about to phase him.
Correct: The teacher’s thirty years of experience rendered her unfazed by the student’s bad behavior.
Incorrect: The teacher’s thirty years of experience rendered her unphased by the student’s bad behavior.
In closing:
Phase = a stage
Faze = to disturb
Pore vs. Pour
Pore: |pôr| (verb) – to be absorbed in the reading or study of. “She’s going to pore over the documents all weekend.”
Pour: |pôr| (verb) – to cause liquid to flow from a container in a steady stream. “She’s going to pour the iced tea into the glass.”
Pour is often incorrectly used in place of pore in the phrases “pore over” or “poring over.”
Correct: I spent hours poring over my grandmother’s photo albums.
Incorrect: I spent hours pouring over my grandmother’s photo albums.
In Closing
Pore = to study; to be absorbed in
Pour = to cause liquid to flow from a container
That’s all for now! Again, feel free to suggest future Mean Ol’ Schoolmarm topics!
In love and grammar,
P-Dub