Gaye’s Guide to Good Grammar, Part 2

Written by: Gaye Swan

I enjoyed writing my last blog on good grammar so much that I decided to write another one! This month, let’s focus on misused words. We surely all know by now that “irregardless” is not a word. Regardless, there are others that continue to trip us up.

Literally

Please, let’s all make a commitment to stop using “literally.” It means “in an exact or literal sense.” When you say, “Literally thousands of people attended,” you are saying that you have an exact count of thousands of people in attendance. It has no place in professional writing unless you are telling the literal/actual/complete truth.

I was literally blown away by the presentation.

Unless the presentation involved dynamite, try this: I was figuratively blown away by the presentation.

Or, better yet, this: The presentation gave me so much great information that I haven’t considered!

Cite/Site/Sight

Homophones – words that sound the same but with different spellings and meanings – are tricky. Cite means to reference or quote something. A site is a location, while sight is one of the five senses.

In my article on the miracle of sight, I cite a leading ophthalmologist. I visited him onsite at the eye clinic.

Could of, would of, should of

These common misuses of the contractions “could’ve, would’ve, and should’ve” probably stems from pronunciation. “Coulda, woulda, shoulda,” in other words! In more formal writing, you’ll want to avoid contractions and stick to “could have, would have, and should have,” but if you are aiming for a friendlier style, the contractions will work.

Billy could of gone with us. He should of asked his mother sooner.

Billy could’ve gone with us. He should have asked his mother sooner.

Dialogue

It has become rather common to use dialogue as a verb – but it is bad grammar! Dialogue is a noun. You don’t dialogue with someone, you have a dialogue with them. Using dialogue when you mean talk, discuss, or even chat is jargon and should be avoided.

Can we meet and dialogue about the upcoming marketing presentation?

Better: Can we meet and have a dialogue about the upcoming marketing presentation?

Best: Can we meet and talk about the upcoming marketing presentation?

Me, Myself, and I

For some reason, the word “me” is considered bad grammar, especially when you are pairing the word with another person. We all know not to say “me went to the store” or “the marketing team will include I.” But how often do we hear “the marketing team will include Shannon and I”?

A simple rule of thumb applies when determining when to use me or I. Take away the other nouns in the clause:

Please send the information for the marketing team to Shannon and I

Take away Shannon: Please send the information for the marketing team to I

Correct: Please send the information for the marketing team to Shannon and me

You can use the same tip when using the word myself:

Elizabeth, Cecilia, or myself will respond to your request.

Take away Elizabeth and Cecilia: Myself will respond to your request.

Correct: Elizabeth, Cecilia, or I will respond to your request.

The proper way to use “myself” is when you are doing something to or for yourself.

I hit myself in the thumb with a hammer.

For my birthday, I bought myself an ice cream cone.

In less formal writing, you may also use “myself” to make a stronger point:

I would never pay that much, myself.

Even for my birthday, I myself would never eat that much ice cream.

I’m not a big fan of using myself in that way, but it is grammatically correct, so you get a pass from me if you want to use it!

If you have grammar rules that trip you up, please let us know on Instagram, Facebook, or our website! I’d love to write more blogs about my favorite topic.