When I was in high school, I took study hall with my favorite English teacher. She would often grade papers while we worked and sometimes grew very frustrated and tossed them into her bag unceremoniously. When I asked why, she said there are some things you correct over and over again, and they never learn.
This seems to be the case for me when I correct homonyms while copyediting manuscripts. Don’t get me wrong. I have many wonderful authors who learn a lot from their editorial experience. But these kinds of errors are well worn and take some serious active retraining for your brain to break the habit.
Unfortunately, this also means they can be the most easily missed editorial corrections by your proofreader. So, taking the time to acknowledge these shortcomings in your writing on the front end can save you heartache once your book is in print.
They’re, Their, and There
These words are the ones I am most likely to see mixed up colloquially, in manuscripts, and even in my own writing. So, keep an eye out for them!
“There” describes a location.
You can find the tissues over there.
“Their” is a word denoting possession by “they,” or the 3rd person plural.
I really love their home.
“They’re” is a contraction of the phrase “they are.”
They’re two peas in a pod.
Two, Too, and To
For whatever reason, when I am talking with word lovers about homonyms, these little ones have a tendency to be forgotten. With such similar spellings, I often chalk up misuse to typos exclusively unless it is a persistent edit, but a review can’t hurt.
“Two” is the English word for the numeral 2.
Can I have two cookies please, Mommy?
“Too” is another word for “also.”
Can I have a cookie too, please?
“To” is a preposition that precedes an indirect object. It connects a 3rd noun to a sentence to provide specificity.
Could you bring your famous cookies to the party?
Your and You’re
This is, quite possibly, the most hotly defended homonym of the internet. Many a troll loves to point this typo out with a long explanation of why you can’t be trusted as a source. Rude. So, let’s keep the review simple:
“Your” is a word denoting possession by “you,” or the second person singular.
Here is your doll, Sally.
“You’re” is a contraction of the phrase “you are.”
You’re a good friend, Ella.
Colloquially Botched Phrases
You’ve definitely heard these before. You’ve probably said at least one of them. A lot of incorrect phrases come from speaking quickly, which is commonly forgiven. When internalized and written, however, these commonly misused phrases can cause confusion particularly in a world with character limits, so it’s best to correct them.
I could care less – If you could care less, then you certainly care more than your usage lets on. The correct phrase is I couldn’t care less.
For all intensive purposes – Purposes can be quite intensive. But you probably mean all intents and purposes. Your intentions and your purposes are being fulfilled.
Should of, would of, could of – These phrases come from lazy speech first. The correct terms are should have, would have, and could have, but when we speak quickly can sound similar to “of.”
Irregardless – It’s regardless. Honestly, I have no idea where this one came from.
Doggie Dog World – Dog eat dog world. This is a phrase that is meant to uncover the harsh realities of life. In the wild, when the going gets tough, dogs eat dogs. By comparison, a doggie dog world sounds like a great place with treats and toys and lots of scritches. At least, it would be if my dogs got any say in it.
Pulling a 360 – This is a basic misunderstanding of math. A circle is 360 degrees. So, doing a 360 means turning around and ending up where you were. But doing a 180 means turning toward the opposite direction.
All of these often misused words and phrases should be caught in either copyediting or proofreading your manuscript, but because, in most cases, they are still potential word choices for your sentences, they can more easily be missed or simply misunderstood. By taking the time to practice a little care, you can make a big impact to your finished novel.
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