In honor of National Grammar Day on Monday, PR News took an informal poll to get a read on some of the most glaring grammatical efforts in written communications, according to public relations pros.
Among the nearly 40 responses, there were a handful of chronic mistakes that PR execs were able to point out.
According to the poll, one of the most blatant grammatical errors is confusing “they’re” (the contracted form of “They are”) with “their (the possessive pronoun). Using “their” when referring to one company (its) also met with derision.
Another common grammatical error that was repeated by several respondents: Confusing ”You’re,” a contraction of “you are,” with “Your,” a possessive adjective.
There were a few other grammatical bugaboos, such as mistaking “affect,” or “to influence," for “effect,” which refers to “a result.”
For PR pros, it’s important to be vigilant when it comes to writing well.
Now in its umpteenth edition, “The Elements of Style,” written by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, is indispensable for public relations execs.
You may have a killer pitch and a story that sings, but if your press release/email/invitation suffers from poor grammar it may be all for naught.
Here’s the full list. Care to chime in?
In honor of National Grammar Day, what do you think is the most common grammatical error?
Follow Matthew Schwartz: @mpsjourno1
The misspelling of recieve — ack! like chewing on tin foil