Top 10 Grammatical and Spelling Errors of 2013

Top 10 Grammatical and Spelling Errors of 2013 It’s that time of year again! This year I will address some of the top grammatical and spelling errors specifically found on resumes and business documents, both of which constitute a large portion of what I read. Here’s the list: #10 Inconsistencies in Bulleted Lists If you make a list of bulleted items, whether it be on a resume or on a website, make them consistent in terms of the part of speech you start with. Bullets that start with the words Provide, Assess, Ensure, and Designing are not parallel; nor are bullets that start with Creates, Teaches, Organized, and Fulfills. Perhaps the inconsistent word jumps off the page when listed this way, but I see mismatched bullets in many types of documents every day. Check your bulleted lists carefully! #9 Manager/Manger According to Wikipedia, a â€Å"manger† is â€Å"a feeder that is made of carved stone, wood, or metal construction and is used to hold food for animals (as in a stable).† A â€Å"manager,† in contrast, is a person in a professional setting who supervises a person or team. Don’t mix them up on your resume, or in your Christmas greetings ;-). #8 Principal/Principle â€Å"Principal† is an adjective meaning first, highest, or foremost in importance, rank, worth, or degree; or of, relating to, or being financial principal, or a principal in a financial transaction. It can also be a noun meaning a person with a leading role, or one who holds a position of presiding rank or who is a main participant in a situation. â€Å"Principle,† in contrast, is a basic truth, tenet or assumption. I realize this spelling distinction can be hard to remember. One trick I use to keep them straight is to think, â€Å"You’re my #1 pal† and know that the word ending in â€Å"pal† relates to someone or something that is #1. #7 PowerPoint/Powerpoint It’s a common error to miss the capital P in the middle of PowerPoint. Be careful when listing any computer programs on your resume to spell them correctly! #6 Set up/Setup â€Å"Set up† is a verb meaning to set something up or put something in a specified state. Notice that there is a word in between â€Å"set† and â€Å"up† in the definition of â€Å"set up,† which you can think of as being substituted with a space. You must set *something* (_) up. â€Å"Setup,† however, is a noun meaning the process of preparing something to be used. You might set up the menus in a restaurant if you work there, but you would go to a setup menu to get a computer program ready for use. #5 Inconsistent Dashes If you use dashes in between start and end dates on your resume, or between any items in a document, use the same length dash for every similar set of text! I almost always see inconsistencies, especially on resumes, and they appear unprofessional. Don’t write June 2011-July 2013 in one spot and August 2010- June 2011 in another. #4 Apostrophes This issue makes the list for the third year in a row. Main point: Creating a plural doesn’t require an apostrophe. One client, two clients. To make a singular word possessive, add an apostrophe ‘s’: e.g., I wrote one client’s resume today. To make a plural word possessive, add an apostrophe after the ‘s’: e.g., I reviewed 5 clients’ records and discovered errors in 3 of them. See Top 7 Grammatical and Spelling Errors of 2012 and Top 10 Grammatical and Spelling Errors of 2011 for more on this topic. #3 Everyday/Every day This is a repeat topic as well. Everyday is an adjective meaning â€Å"common† or â€Å"day-to-day.† Every day means â€Å"daily† or â€Å"each and every day.† Want to learn a trick to remember which is which? See Common Grammatical Errors: Everyday vs. Every Day. #2 Lead/Led The absolute most common spelling error on resumes is the use of â€Å"lead,† meant to be the past tense of â€Å"lead.† The past tense of the verb â€Å"to lead† is â€Å"led†! I would love to see this error disappear from the resume writing world. #1 Two spaces after a period! Sure there are people who still argue that two spaces after a period is acceptable, but I have been fully converted! I have trained my fingers and my eyes to put one space after each period, and I’m attempting to train my clients to â€Å"get with the program† as well. If it’s good enough for the Chicago Manual of Style, it’s good enough for me! Have a happy, healthy, and grammatically correct new year. And remember, I’m always open to hearing your suggestions for my 2014 list!