Grammar Mistakes Even The Best Magazine Writers Make

Grammar Mistakes Even The Best Magazine Writers Make After working as a copyeditor for a regional magazine for the past several years, Ive seen a wide variety of content come across my desk. Some of it has been a breath of fresh airâ€"a writer that was as meticulous with grammar as he or she was spellbinding with word choice. Some of it was several notches below this category, with content that would have been appealing if it hadnt included multiple clichés and grammar mistakes.One would assume that freelance writers who have been chosen to write content for a magazine would be above such mistakes in their writing. This is far from the truth, as many magazines invite local bankers, real estate agents, mayors and celebrities to submit articles for a certain section, regardless of the level of their writing skills. Then, there are the freelance writers who, by some small miracle, write a piece about something interesting and catch the editors eye. These writers might be published once but as soon as the copyeditor complains about the la ck of professionalism and grammar skills, it is doubtful that the editor will invite another piece from the author.The easiest way to avoid seeming unprofessional in your craft is to hire a copyeditor or proofreader to ensure that your piece contains flawless grammar before you submit it to an editor for review. Polishing up a piece on the front-end is a lot better than being embarrassed about obvious grammar mistakes that are put into print and could have been avoidedâ€"or attempting to salvage your career after being labeled as an unprofessional writer.Therefore, if you are attempting to break into the world of freelance journalism by writing for magazines, here are a few simple grammar mistakes that even the best writers make sometimes, but should be avoided, when possible.Who vs. WhomAt the risk of sounding like an overzealous grammar teacher, this is a pet peeve of many copyeditors that can be easily avoided. If you want the technical explanation, who is a subjective or nominat ive pronoun that goes into the same category as he, she, it, we and they. This means that it is used as the subject of the clause or to replace one of the aforementioned pronouns. Whom, on the other hand, is an objective pronoun, fitting into the same category as him, her, it, us and them. When a pronoun is the object of a clause, whom is the correct choice.But what if you never did well in English grammar and get confused when terms like objective and nominative are thrown at you? Dont worryâ€"theres an easy way to know for sure if youre using who and whom correctly. Look at the following sentence:Who/whom will I ask to the dance?Since the who/whom choice is at the beginning of the sentence, your first impulse might be to use who, right? Well… dont. Whether its at the beginning, middle or end of the sentence makes little difference. The real questions you should be asking yourself are:How can I rephrase this question?Did I use a nominative pronoun (he/she) or objective pronoun (h im/her) when I rephrased the question?The answer to question 1 is:Will I ask her to the dance?The answer to question 2 is:I used an objective pronoun (her); therefore, whom is the correct choice here.That vs. WhichThis mistake permeates writing on multiple levels, from amateur to graduate-level writing and beyond. However, theres a simple way to ascertain which to use, and it all boils down to one question:Is the clause that follows necessary for the meaning of the sentence?If the answer is yes, then use that. If the answer is no, then use a comma, followed by which.Consider the following sentence:I only eat meat products that are free-range and hormone-free.If we take away the clause following that, namely that are free-range and hormone-free, would the meaning of the sentence change drastically?I only eat meat products.The answer is yes, it would change. There is a lot of difference between the meaning of the first example and the second example. Therefore, that was the correct ch oice here.Now, consider the following sentence:I only eat vegetarian, which is a lifestyle I enjoy.If we take away the clause following which, namely which is a lifestyle I enjoy, would the meaning of the sentence change drastically?I only eat vegetarian.The answer is no, it wouldnt change. The information that followed the comma and which was additional information but the meaning of the sentence stays the same: this person only eats vegetarian. Therefore, which was the correct choice here.Affect vs. EffectThe easiest way to avoid this grammar mistake is to look at how the word is used in the sentence. If the word is used as a verb, it is almost always affect. If the word is used as a noun, it is almost always effect.Consider the following sentences:I was affected by the words you used today.Those words had an effect on me.Its vs. ItsIve seen many editors make this mistake; its that common. However, the explanation for which to use is a simple one:Use its when you are showing posse ssion. For example:The dog bit at its collar all day.Use its when you are showing the contraction of it is. For example:Its a sad day when we cant even stand for the national anthem.