Are you making these mistakes in your writing? Part 2
As we said before, spellcheck and autocorrect aren’t going to save you if you’re making these mistakes. They may even make the mistakes for you! Here are five more common errors that you can expel from your writing today.
If you missed Part 1, in which we explained affect vs. effect, complement vs. compliment, council vs. counsel and more, click here.
Disclaimer: these are simplified definitions that are most useful for financial services professionals. If you’re writing the next War and Peace, you can dig a little deeper into the sometimes complex uses of these words.
Its vs. it’s
“Its” is the possessive pronoun of “it”: Its mandate is to preserve capital; The Fed is acting as if its purpose is to control the economy. Meanwhile, “it’s” is a contraction of “it is”: It’s going to be a nice day; It’s interesting that people are so confident, given the current market volatility.
Premier vs. premiere
“Premier” is an adjective that means first in status: The company’s goal is to be the premier provider of (insert product or service). “Premiere,” which can be a noun or a verb, is the first performance or showing of something: The movie premiere drew a large audience.
Principal vs. principle
“Principal” means of the highest importance and the original sum invested: Our principal concern; The GIC protects the saver’s principal. “Principle” is a noun that means fundamental truth: We believe in the following investment principles.
Precede vs. proceed
“Precede” means to go before, while “proceed” means to go forward. Therefore: The save-the-date email precedes the invitation; The securities commission will proceed with the investigation.
Who vs. whom
“Who” is the subject of a verb: Please tell us who was selected. “Whom” is the object: Can you tell me whom she selected?
Check back soon for Part 3 as we continue our exploration of common writing errors.