Here are six common grammatical mistakes that will ultimately make you look stupid in the eyes of your blog’s readership. While we would like to think what we have to say is infinitely more important than a grammatical error, the truth is some people will not subscribe or link to your blog if you make stupid mistakes when you write.

Here are six common grammatical mistakes you must avoid when writing your blog content.

1.     To, Too, & Two

The improper use of these words is by far the most irritating grammatical mistake for me to read. I have become such a critic for this mistake that it just makes me cringe and click away.

Examples of proper usage

You go TO the store. (Shows direction)

Is this your hamburger TOO? (Replacement for ALSO)

Your writing makes you sound like a TWO year old. (Age or Number)

2. Your vs. You’re

This mistake one drives me absolutely crazy, and it’s one of the most common mistakes even among experienced bloggers. All it takes to avoid this error is to take a second and think about what you’re trying to say.

“Your” is the possessive pronoun that signifies a possession that one owns, as in “your car” or “your blog.” “You’re” is the contraction for “you are,” as in “you’re not as stupid as you look.  If you want to keep looking stupid, just keep using your, when you really mean you are.”

3. It’s vs. Its

This is another common mistake that is also easily avoided by thinking through what you’re trying to say.

“It’s” is the contraction for “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “this blog has lost its continuity.” Here’s an easy rule of thumb—repeat your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds incorrect, “its” is likely the correct choice.

4. There vs.Their

This one seems to trip up everyone occasionally, often as a pure typo. Make sure to watch for it when you proofread.

“There” is used many ways, including as a reference to a place (“let’s go there”) or as a pronoun (“there is no hope”). “Their” is a plural (meaning more than one) possessive pronoun, as in “their bags” or “their opinions.” One method to determine proper usage is to do the “that’s ours,” test. If are you talking about more than one person and something that they possess, “their” will get you there properly.

5. Affect vs. Effect

To this day I have to pause and mentally sort this one out in order to get it right. As with any of the other common mistakes people make when writing, it’s taking that moment to get it right that makes the difference.

“Affect” is a verb, as in “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your income immensely.” “Effect” is a noun, as in “The effect of a parent’s low income on a child’s future is well documented.” By thinking in terms of “the effect,” you can usually sort out which is which, because you can’t stick a “the” in front of a verb. While some people do use “effect” as a verb (“a strategy to effect a settlement”), they are usually lawyers, and you should therefore ignore them if you want to write like a human.

6. The Dangling Participle

The dangling participle may be the most egregious of the most common writing mistakes. Not only will this error damage the flow of your writing, it can also make it impossible for someone to understand what you’re trying to say.

Check out this example:

While cooking in a big pot, my brother took out some crackers from the box

ewwww… keep your poached brother away from me!

The participial phrase that begins the sentence is not intended to modify what follows next in the sentence. However, your readers mentally expect it to work that way, so your opening phrase must modify what immediately follows. If it does not, then you’ve left your participle dangling in the wind