Day 2: Something I'm Good At (Or "Something at Which I am Good")

I am good at finding mistakes in other people's grammar and usage.

I come by it honestly.  My mother is a freak about grammar (she reads grammar text books for fun...no joke) and I learned it so well that in college, when I had to pick an area of emphasis for my degree, I picked English because I was so good at finding other people's mistakes.  I got a long email from my brother recently, which he followed up with a second, shorter one, which read:

FYI I know I have an “its” should be “it’s” typo…I know it will  be hard for you to focus on anything I’ve written after you discover it, but do your best.

I did my best.  It was hard.

I am not going to "educate you" as the instructions say because you are all educated adults and are no doubt aware of what constitutes good and bad grammar and usage.  But here are a few basic rules:

• Never end a sentence with a preposition (the title of this post is technically not a sentence, but I felt the need to carry out the spirit of the law nonetheless)
• Use "good" and "well" appropriately.  If someone says, "How are you?" the appropriate response is "Well," not "Good."  "Fine," "Great," "Peachy-keen," and so on are also perfectly acceptable.  But not "Good."
• Get the difference between effect and affect right. (A personal pet peeve)
• Effect is a noun
• Ex. The effect of the drought was devastating.
• Affect is a verb
• Ex. The drought affected the town in devastating ways. 
•  And don't start sentences with a conjunction. (He he he.)
• Actually, this one isn't really a rule anymore, or if it is, writers are ignoring it all over the place.  It has come to be stylistic. And I like it. :)

And there you go.  You are better writers already, right? :)