Proofreader's marks: Resonate

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Because personal computers have made publishing in print and electronic media inexpensive and nearly effortless, typographic errors—"typos"—have become a fact of life. Look out for these common mistakes in spelling and grammar:

1. Be sure to accommodate two Ms.

2. "Smoking may effect affect your health" (Affect means "to influence," while effect means "to accomplish.")

3. "The handy fieldbook compliments complements the more theory-focused textbook." (Compliment means "to praise," while complement means "to fill out or make whole.")

4. There is a discernable discernible difference.

5. "Each of the routes reach reaches your destination." (Each, when the subject of a sentence, requires a singular verb.)

6. "Express lane: 10 items or less fewer." (Less refers to quantities, while fewer refers to numbers.)

7. "Irregardless Regardless of the circumstances, the delivery will be on time."

8. "He performed the piano concerto like as if he had composed it himself." (Generally, as if precedes verbs, in this case the verb composed.)

9. One or many? Though none came from the Old English words "not one," modern use and the Oxford English Dictionary indicate the word is most often used as a plural: "None of the advisors agree on a course of action."

10. "She preferred to sweeten her coffee with saccharine saccharin." (Saccharin is the artificial sweetener; saccharine means "sugary.")

11. That vs which: restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. Restrictive clauses are essential to the meaning of a sentence, while unrestrictive clauses are parenthetical. Unrestrictive clauses are always set off with commas, and restrictive clauses are never set off with commas. Which is appropriate for unrestrictive clauses, and that is appropriate for restrictive clauses.

Example of an unrestrictive clause: "The story, which appeared on the second page, was compelling."

Or, written to include a restrictive clause: "The story that appeared on the second page was compelling."

12. To whom it may concern: whom is used as the object of a preposition or verb ("From whom did this gift arrive?" or "The grandparents whom I visited last Thanksgiving.") or the subject of a complimentary infinitive ("The contestant whom the judges believed to be most worthy."). Who is appropriate for all other uses. A tip: replace who/whom with he/him; if him is grammatically correct, use whom.

Bonus It's Britney Spears.

See a list of common proofreader's marks.

Even the most perfectly crafted messages can get lost in today's commotion. How can you connect to your constituents in a meaningful way? How can you strike a chord with prospects and persuade them? How can you position your offerings to resonate with those who matter most to your success? It begins with communication.

Throughout our nearly quarter century of helping organizations achieve their goals, we have developed communication programs that help organizations of diverse scale and scope—start-up to centenarians—communicate their offerings in ways that resonate. Explore our client credentials, learn more about how we think, follow the trail below to more information about grammar and spelling, or contact us to learn how we can help you build effective communications systems.

For more information

Bryson, Bill. Bryson's dictionary of troublesome words: a writer's guide to getting it right. New York: Broadway Books, 2002.

Cazort, Douglas. Under the grammar hammer: the 25 most important grammar mistakes and how to avoid them. Los Angeles, Lowell House, 1992.

Parrish, Thomas. The grouchy grammarian: a how-not-to guide to the 47 most common mistakes in English made by journalists, broadcasters, and others who should know better. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, 2002.

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