Category Archives: Correct usage

Incorrect usage: “to cry about something”

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I’ve noticed a lot of grammar abnormalities lately regarding the verb: “to cry”. Due to the large amount of poetic texts on the web, people started to use the preposition “about” as a replacement for the correct ones (because, for) asked by the verb.

There are poetical texts like: “something to cry about” which can easily be replaced with: “a reason to cry”. The same situation goes for: “nothing to cry about” which stands for “no reason to cry”. Both of these forms are correct in the given situation.

However, a lot of people did start to use “to cry about something” in various situations.

“Don’t cry about me” is not, by any means, a correct form. The natural, grammatically correct version is: “Don’t cry because of what I did” or “Don’t cry for me”.

 

 

Correct use of “off” and “of”

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"Off" can represent a status of a electronic device, or a different location for "someone" or "something".

Examples:

Turn off your laptop and go to bed.

The cat jumped off the bed.

"Of" is a preposition and it is used  to express a belonging.

Examples:

This is an example of a sentences.

I can’t talk you out of this.

Correct use of “affect” and “effect”

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"Affect" is a verb and it can be used when you talk about an action with consequences.

Example: Running will positively affect your stamina.

"Effect" is a noun and it can be used as a synonym for "consequence".

Example: This will cause a mass effect among the Americans.

Correct use: Allways, always or all ways

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The two correct words out of this list are: "always” and “all ways”. “Allways” is just a common mistake. However, the other two have different meanings.

Always is a synonym for “all the time”, while “all ways” refers to the number of possible solutions. “All ways” is often used with an article or an adjective: “all the ways”, “all your ways”.

Examples:

I’ve always thought about this, but I never took any actions.

This problem can come around all ways (both ways, both sides).

Correct usage: “fulfill” or “fulfil”

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There are a lot of ongoing arguments regarding this word. However, according to most academic references, the correct usage for the verb is: “to fulfil” with just one “l”.

Still, people claim to have read the word in both forms: “fulfill” or “fulfil“. Sometimes, even the grammar correction software indicate that “fulfil” is the wrong way to spell the word. Americans, for instance, mostly use the form with the double “l”.

Due to the two vowels, “to fulfil” will double the “l” in it’s past tense form: “to fulfil - fulfilled“, or in their -ing form: “fulfilling“.

Correct usage: “untill” or “until” and “till” or “til”

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“Untill” or “until”: The correct form is “until”.


Example: You can stay in your room until you decide.

“Till” or “til”: This is the short form for “until”, but the correct way to spell it is: “till”, with a double “l”.



Example: 10 minutes till sunrise.