Writing errors that rub communicators the wrong way

Here are the writing errors that bug communicators the most

The misuse and abuse of grammar affects people in strange ways. Take this observation from Jack London’s novel, Martin Eden:

“She knew only that no man had ever affected her before as this one had, who shocked her from moment to moment with his awful grammar.”

For Martin Eden, the title character in the book, bad grammar helped attract an educated lady of society; for most corporate communicators, bad grammar grates their nerves.

Communicators vented their annoyance on a MyRagan forum titled, “What grammar goofs drive you nuts?” The forum drew 140 comments rebuking not only bad grammar, but also lousy syntax, poor word choice, misspellings and mispronunciation.

We combed through all the comments to learn five of the most grating writing gaffes, as well as why they became part of our lexicon and how to avoid making these mistakes.

You could care less

When people say or write “could care less,” instead of “couldn’t care less,” dozens of MyRagan members hear nails on a chalkboard.