Common+Mistakes+Pt+2

Jacky's mistake was the difference between "who" and "whom". "Who" refers to a subject while "whom" refers to an object. A question with "who" could be answered with "he" while a question with "whom" could be answered with "him". Because "whom" and "him" end in m, it is easy to remember. I know that I never really knew the difference between these two, but I do now.

One mistake from Erik Rishel's journal is the difference between "like" and "as". "Like" is a preposition, so it can be used in a prepositional phrase with either a noun or a verb following it. There is never a time where both a verb and a noun will follow "like" in a prepositional phrase. Erik gave the example of, "He ate like a dog eats," for an incorrect sentence because it uses a noun (dog) and a verb (eats). It should be "He ate like a dog". However, you could say, "He eats as a dog does," because "as" is not a preposition and can be used with both a noun and a verb. I know that I have make this mistake before.

Dan gave an example of a mistake; whether to use "beside" or "besides". You use "beside" when describing something that is close to or to the side of something else. "Besides" is used when you are adding something. You could say, "The cat is beside the table," to properly use "beside". You would say something like, "Besides, I'm allergic to cats," when using "besides". I don't usually make this mistake when speaking, but sometimes when I am hurrying I make this mistake in writing. Now I have clarified which is which so it should be easier to remember not to mix them up.

Lauren used a mistake that I make a lot. It is when to use "maybe" and when to use "may be". "Maybe" is an adverb and "may be" is a verb phrase, so they are very different. The example she gave is "Maybe I will go to my grandmother's house," and "I may be going to my grandmother's house". No that I recognize that they are two different things with different meanings, I should be able to understand when to use each one.

Janson learned that it is improper to say "for free". I use this term all the time when I describe something that I received for no cost. You are supposed to drop the "for". Instead of saying, "I got the drink for free because I got another one," you would say, "I got the drink free because I got another one." "Free" is an adjective, so you would not need to add "for". I will remember that "free" is an adjective and try to say and write this correctly from now on.