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Misused words and grammatically wrong sentences leave others wondering about our intelligence and whether we care enough about the projects we are doing for others.

Wonder, wander
Wonder and wander sound the same, yet are written differently and have completely different meanings. Wonder, means to speculate; while wander means meandering or straying off.

Of and Off
Of and off are silly mistakes often made carelessly, and having very different meanings, as is two, too and to; and their, there and they’re, and our and are. Such mistakes are often made due to being in a hurry, and spell check will not catch such a mistake.

Fare and fair, or hair and hare
Some people don’t seem to know the difference between fare and fair, or hair and hare. Fare can be the cost of travel, such as “The fare for the bus is $1.00.”; or food, such as “The dinner fare will include spaghetti.” Fair means reasonable, acceptable, or it can be an event such as the State Fair. Hair is what covers our head, or is found on many animals, but a hare is an animal similar in like to a rabbit, but larger.

A or An ?
The letter “a” cannot be used in front of a word beginning with a vowel, such as “a apple or a orange.” An apple or an orange is the proper way.

Expressing numbers digits or words
In using numbers in a sentence, one through ten should always be spelled out, while it is proper either way to write or spell out a larger number.

Another mistake that will leave one thinking you are a dunce is the proper form of some plural words. Mouses, oxes, leafs, and sheeps are incorrect. The proper plural words for each are mice, oxen, leaves, and sheep.

Double negatives
Double negatives in a sentence is common, yet so erroneous. Two examples are: “I didn’t do nothing wrong.” and “She don’t never say yes.” In Spanish and other Latin and romance languages, double negatives are proper in a sentence, but not in English.

Poor Grammar
There is no excuse for poor grammar, such as using “aint, got none, and don’t got.” Using such grammar will leave one to wonder if you were raised in the back woods among derelicts.

Gangster Grammar
The new “gangster” language leaves many a teacher and parent cringing upon hearing a child utter such half words, incomplete sentences and other misspelled, and mispronounced words. “Gangsta, homey and wasup” is just an example of such crude language.

Ending a sentence in a preposition
Another grammatical error that leaves many cringing, is ending a sentence in a preposition. “That is taken care of.” and “He is well thought of.” doesn’t sound as bad, and perhaps there is no better way to redirect them. However, “Where is the hat at?” and “Where did you put it at?” can be properly worded into “Where is the hat?” and Where did you put it?”.

Our first impressions upon people are the ones that usually stick. By using poor grammar in our oral as well as written sentences, we leave ourselves open to criticism; drastically cut the chances for a better job or advancement in our career; and practically diminish our social skills all together, leaving us to converse with only ourselves or the few that can barely utter a sentence.