Common Mechanics Issues

Common Grammar and Punctuation Questions
1. YOU & I
  1. use I when you refer to YOURSELF
  2. use YOU when you directly address your READER
  3. do not use YOU in the general sense as a substitute for people, everyone, or large groups of people
2. AMOUNT VS. NUMBER
  1. use NUMBER when you refer to something that CAN BE COUNTED
  2. use AMOUNT when you refer to something that CANNOT BE COUNTED (or usually isn't)
3. LESS VS. FEWER
  1. use FEWER when you refer to something that CAN BE COUNTED
  2. use LESS when you refer to something that CANNOT BE COUNTED
4. SERIES COMMAS
  1. use the final series comma to avoid ambiguity
    1. Ex: Sylvester, Tweety, and Yogi.
5. THE NAKED THIS
  1. use the word THIS with a NOUN or you may write something ambiguous
    1. Ex: THIS diet...
6. HYPHENS: pick a consistent style and use it throughout the document
  1. use HYPHENS only to CONNECT WORDS TO WORDS or NUMBERS TO WORDS (do not use them in place of bullets or to connect parts of a sentence)
7. SOURCE REFERENCE AND OTHER NAMES
  1. FIRST time you use a person's name, use both FIRST & LAST. AFTERWARDS refer to that person by his/her LAST NAME.
8. QUOTATIONS
  1. always include a quotation as part of a larger sentence. A quote should never stand alone.
COMPOUND WORDS AND OTHER SPELLING: list of words that people frequently confuse and consequently misspell.
1. DEFINITELY VS. DEFIANTLY (DEFINaTELY IS NOT A WORD)
  1. Definitely: spelled correctly. Defiantly: how your cat looks at you when you tell it to get off the couch but it just stays there.
2. EVERYDAY VS. EVERY DAY
  1. EVERYDAY (it's an adjective) to modify a noun (everyday shoes). EVERY DAY to indicate when something happens (ride my bike every day).
3. INTO VS. IN TO
  1. I am going to turn this essay INTO my teacher, then my backpack will be heavy. I am going to turn this essay IN TO my teacher and she will be very happy.
4. POSSES VS. POSSESS
  1. POSSES: group, gang, troop. POSSESS: ownership
5. SUPPOSED TO, USED TO, ACCUSTOMED TO
  1. D at the end of each word!
ISSUES SPECIFIC TO TECHNICAL WRITING
1. COLONS TO INTRODUCE A LIST
  1. Always use a sentence or phrase to introduce a list.
    1. Use a colon at the end of a complete sentence (Bring the following to class: *pens *notebooks *calculator
    2. Use no punctuation for a portion of a sentence finished off by the list of items (At the meeting we will discuss *A *B *C
2. LIST PUNCTUATION: choose a consistent style to use throughout a document.
  1. use PERIODS at the end of each item. (Bring the following to class: *A. *B. *C.
  2. use NO PERIODS at all (Bring the following to class: *A *B *C
  3. use a PERIOD at the END of the list (Bring the following to class: *A *B *C.)

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