Five Words or Phrases to Avoid

Lots of time we hear verbal patterns that may be acceptable (to some people) in speech, but they are considered ungrammatical in the written word. Below are five examples of words or phrases to avoid in your written communications.

1. Being as/Being that–Don’t use in place of because or since.

Being as the cake was frosted, we had to eat it.  Wrong

Because the cake was frosted, we had to eat it.   Correct

2. Can’t hardly—This phrase is a double negative and not acceptable in standard English.

I can’t hardly wait for the first day of summer.  Wrong

I can hardly wait for the first day of summer.     Correct

I can’t wait for the first day of summer.              Correct

 Could of/Should of/Would of—These expressions are ungrammatical uses of could have, should have, and would have. They probably originate from the contractions in speech, could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve. Use the proper form in written English.

4. Different from/Different Than—The correct usage is different from, not different than.

North Carolina eastern style barbeque is different from western style.

5. Due to—This expression is a wordy construction. Use because

Due to the fact that Duke lost the game, the team didn’t advance. Wordy

Because Duke lost the game, the team didn’t advance.                   Much better

 Clean up your manuscripts by avoiding these ungrammatical expressions. Clean up your speech patterns by avoiding them, too.

Happy writing!