08-31-2011, 12:00 PM
My personal sources of irritation:
Affect vs. effectÂ
(The simple rule is that the first is a verb, the second is a noun. Of course, there are exceptions, as a psychiatrist will describe a patient's "affect" and one can "effect" change.)
Farther vs. further
(Farther is used for physical distance, further for a metaphorical distance)
Less vs. fewer
(Look at the express line the next time you are in Safeway. Their signs are grammatically correct. Several years ago, I had noticed their signs had been painted over. It previously said, "10 items or less", and now says, "10 items or fewer". I asked the clerk when the correction occurred. He said, with irritation, that the signs in ALL of their stores had to be redone - because an elementary school teacher complained.)
Affect vs. effectÂ
(The simple rule is that the first is a verb, the second is a noun. Of course, there are exceptions, as a psychiatrist will describe a patient's "affect" and one can "effect" change.)
Farther vs. further
(Farther is used for physical distance, further for a metaphorical distance)
Less vs. fewer
(Look at the express line the next time you are in Safeway. Their signs are grammatically correct. Several years ago, I had noticed their signs had been painted over. It previously said, "10 items or less", and now says, "10 items or fewer". I asked the clerk when the correction occurred. He said, with irritation, that the signs in ALL of their stores had to be redone - because an elementary school teacher complained.)