Even the best of us make mistakes. However, we should be extra careful of reputation-damaging slips that can be easily avoided.

One of the surest ways to have people dismiss you is to use bad grammar and spelling in written materials. It can destroy your professional image in an instant. A simple misuse of words could cost you valuable opportunities, such as the respect of a client or a chance for an interview.

Here are some commonly made mistakes that could be holding you back in your career.

1. You’re / Your

The similar pronunciation of ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ throws off a lot of people. Many are confused over its usage.

This is an understandable and equally unforgivable mistake.

“You’re” is actually the contraction of “you are”. In sentences where you mean to say “you are”, you can substitute it with “you’re”.

E.g. You are pretty = You’re pretty.

On the other hand, ‘Your’ is a possessive pronoun. It refers to things that belong to you.

E.g. Your bag is over there.

2. It’s / Its

An apostrophe can be used to contract words (she is = she’s) and to show ownership (Susan’s phone). The use of It’s / Its is more confusing because they does not follow these conventional rules. The confusion arises from the idea that “it’s” means the thing belonging to ‘it’.

“It’s” actually stands for “It is”.

E.g. It is very hot = It’s very hot.

Its on the other hand shows possession of a thing. If you wanted refer to the ball of a dog, you would say ‘its ball’.

E.g. The dog’s ball = Its ball.

3. They’re / Their / There

These three words may sound alike but refer to very different things.

“They’re” is a contraction of “They are”.

E.g. They're eating at the dining hall. = They are eating at the dining hall.

“Their” refers to something that belongs to a group of people.

E.g. Their cats = The cats that belong to them.

“There” is talking about a place far away from you. It is also the opposite of here.

E.g. She’s going to stand over there.

4. Loose / Lose

“You lose” and “you loose” mean very different things. Its misuse could lead you to some highly embarrassing moments.

“Loose” is an adjective meaning that the object is slack.

E.g. My pants are so loose!

“Lose” is the opposite of win.

E.g. They are going to lose.

5. Lead / Led

People tend to get mixed up between the two. “Lead” and “Led” actually mean the same thing. The only difference is that “Lead” is present tense and “Led” is its past tense.

I lead a group of six people [currently leading them]

Vs.

I led a group of six people [was the group’s leader in the past]

6. A lot / Alot / Allot

It’s common to see “alot” popping up in SMSes. Maybe our constant exposure to it has made us forget that “alot” is not an actual word.

“A lot” refers to the quantity of something.

E.g. There are a lot of fish.

“Allot”, however, means to distribute or parcel out.

E.g. I was allotted five fish.

7. Between You and I (or Me?)

The rule of when to use “you and I” and “you and me” is widely misused, even by people who should know better, like talk show hosts and TV news anchors.

Its misuse has become so widespread that the two almost seem interchangeable.

These two phrases may seem to mean similar things, but refer to totally different things.

“You and me” is replaceable with “us”.

E.g. Between you and me, we can do this.

“You and I”, on the other hand, is replaceable with “we”.

E.g. You and I can win this.

Make a little cheat sheet and keep it in your wallet. The next time you find yourself struggling to find the right words, you can pull it out to double check. After all, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Enjoyed this article? "Like" it on Facebook and drop us a comment!