Here are some common mistakes I see in stories that can easily be corrected and make your story just that much better.

 

    1. Homonyms

        A homonym is a word that might have the same spelling or pronounced the same way but mean two different things. Here's a list of commonly misused homonyms and some examples.

 

    Lose -- misplace something; He will probably lose that game.

    Loose -- opposite of tight; She wore a loose shirt.

 

    Who's -- Who Is that?

    Whose -- Whose book is that in the classroom?

 

    There -- "There is," or "Look at her over there"

    Their -- Possessive; Their book, their movie.

    They're -- They are

 

    Your -- Possessive and ownership; your computer

    You're -- You are

 

    All right -- "all" is everything and "right" directs it towards a place

    Alright -- If someone is doing well and OK

 

    Its -- Possessive

    It's -- It is; It's hot out here today.

 

    Affect -- Something that will cause a change in someone/thing

    Effect -- The result of what that change was

 

    Accept -- Including or taking something into something else

    Except -- Excluding and leaving something/one out of something

 

    Hour -- 60 minutes of time

    Our -- Possessive; Our car

 

    Advise -- The verb form

    Advice -- Words to help someone; the noun form.

 

    Capital -- Referring to the capital of a state: Richmond, Virginia; wealth in the form of money; an uppercase letter

    Capitol -- A building or many buildings where the state legislature meets

 

 

    2. Troublesome Pairs of Verbs

        Three sets of verbs are particularly difficult: lie and lay, sit and set, and rise and raise.

 

    Lie -- "To assume a lying position" and parts are lie, (is) lying, lay, (have) lain

    Lay -- "To put" or "to place something" and parts are lay, (is) laying, laid, (have) laid

        The verb "lie" never has an object, so you will never "lie" anything down.

        The verb "lay" is transitive, the opposite of what "lie" is, and may have an object or be in passive voice.

        When you want to express the idea of "putting or placing something" in the past tense, always use "laid."

 

    Sit -- "To be in an upright, sitting position" and parts are sit, (is) sitting, sat, (have) sat.

    Set -- "To put or place in something," and parts are set, (is) setting, set, (have set).

        When you want to "put something down" always use set or setting; for all other meaning, use "set" or "sat" or "sitting."

 

    Rise -- "to go up."

    Raise -- "To force something to move upward."

        When the subject of the verb is acting on something, forcing it upward, use "Raise." "Raise" will usually take an object.

 

 

    3. Capitalization

        Capitalization is important in stories. It indicates the beginning of sentences and distinguish names and titles. It is very easy to get confused in a story with no capitalization Here is a short list of certain times you always use capitalization.

 

    4. Dead words/verbs repeated over and over again.

        Dead verbs:

        Try to come up with different words instead of saying "she is running," say "she leaped over the rock, continuing her frantic pace back to the school."

 

        Dead words:

    Try taking out these words (use a thesaurus) and come up with more complex words. In my opinion, "said" is one of the most overused dead words. Instead, use "remarked," "commented," "questioned," "stated," etc. There are plenty of more interesting words out there. In fact, check out this list: Other Words for Said.

 

Did I miss anything? Want me to add something? Let me know!

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