We can’t be Top Dog Communications without sharing pet peeves. They’re common mistakes writers make.

• Have you ever heard a newscaster introduce a news segment by saying, “Let’s take a listen.” Think about it. Can you actually hold the ability to listen in your hands? We know we can’t. If you want to use this expression, please say instead, “Let’s listen.”
• When keying your message, whether using a computer or typewriter, do you put one space or two after a period? Today’s computers are different from old-fashioned typewriters that used monospacing. The term “monospace” means that every character takes up the same amount of horizontal space on a line. For example, the letter “m” takes up more space than the letter “l” on a typewritten page. As a result, the space between each character isn’t consistent. Not so with today’s computers, because they automatically configure the space between characters. This makes it easier to read words on a line and reduces the amount of white space on a page. So, there’s no need to put two spaces after a period.
• Do you say, “people who,” or “people that?” People commonly write or say, “People that are writers.” Think about it for a moment. People are human beings, not things. So, whenever you refer to people, whether you’re writing or speaking, you should say, “People who write or speak,” and you should say or write, “things that go bump in the night,” NOT “things who go bump in the night.”
• How do you accurately use “there,” “their,” and “they’re,” and what’s the difference among the three words?

There represents something tangible and concrete OR something more abstract. For example, “over there by the car,” or “there are 26 letters in the English language.” Another way to test whether you’re using the right word is to ask yourself if you can substitute here for there in the sentence.

Their implies possession. It needs to be linked to a noun. For example, “The dogs (noun) found their (possessive adjective) way home.” Or, “They (noun) wrote in their notebooks (they own the notebooks).” To test whether you’re using their correctly, try substituting our and see if the sentence still makes sense.

In the instance of they’re, it is an abbreviated version of “they are.” To make sure you’re using they’re correctly, read the sentence with the contraction spelled out. For example, “There following the wrong manual for this class” should actually read, “They’re (they are) using the wrong manual for this class.”