Writing Well in an Age of Mediocracy
A comprehensive guide for writers covering the three major problem areas.
The Decline of Editorial Standards in Modern Media
In an era of instant news and digital content creation, the standards of written language have suffered a concerning decline, even among major media outlets that should be bastions of excellence.
Publications that once prided themselves on impeccable grammar and precise language now regularly publish articles riddled with elementary errors. These aren’t merely typos that slip past hurried eyes, but fundamental misunderstandings of language rules that should never appear in professional writing. Seasoned editors, once the guardians of linguistic integrity, seem increasingly rare or overburdened in today’s streamlined newsrooms.
When respected newspapers and magazines consistently confuse “its” and “it’s” or misplace modifiers, readers rightfully question the credibility of the content itself.
Common Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. There are more, however, here are the most common offenders, each with short, illustrative, and correctly structured sentences.
Their/There/They’re - “They’re taking their luggage over there.”
Your/You’re - “You’re responsible for your own actions.”
To/Too/Two - “I want to go too, but only two tickets remain.”
Its/It’s - “It’s important to know its meaning.”
Affect/Effect - “The medication may affect you, but the effect will be temporary.”
Principal/Principle - “My pal the Principal maintains strict principles.”
Weather/Whether - “I don’t know whether the weather will improve.”
Accept/Except - “I accept all suggestions except that one.”
Then/Than - “First clean the kitchen, then do more than expected.”
Stationary/Stationery - “The car remained stationary while I purchased stationery.”
Commonly Misused Non-Standard Words
Early in my career, during a meeting with the CEO of a prestigious investment firm, I carelessly uttered “irregardless” while completing a presentation. He immediately corrected me with a piercing glance that froze the conversation. Fortunately, we were alone—no witnesses to my linguistic transgression. Yet despite this privacy, I’m sure that singular error colored his perception of my competence. Though I never repeated the mistake, it would take years of meticulous work to fully erase the impression of that three-second lapse in an otherwise exemplary career.
Irregardless - Use “regardless” instead. “Regardless of the circumstances, the deadline remains.”
Supposably - Use “supposedly” instead. “He was supposedly at the meeting.”
Expresso - Use “espresso” instead. “I ordered an espresso at the café.”
Conversate - Use “converse” instead. “They like to converse about politics.”
Orientate - In American English, use “orient” instead. “Let me orient you to the building.”
Anyways - Use “anyway” instead. “Anyway, let’s continue with our discussion.”
Alot - This should be written as “a lot.” “We have a lot of work to do.”
Could of/Would of/Should of - Use “could have/would have/should have” instead. “I should have called earlier.”
Dialate - Use “dilate” instead. “Her pupils dilate in the dark.”
Snuck - In formal writing, use “sneaked” instead. “He sneaked into the room.”
Common Grammatical Problems
It is interesting to note that while writing this post, and despite having the benefit of a well-respected grammar program, many of the examples above and below are either shown as incorrect when correct, or correct when incorrect. Writing well means taking control over your output.
Comma Splices - Incorrectly joining two independent clauses with just a comma.
Incorrect: “She finished her report, she submitted it immediately.”
Correct: “She finished her report, and she submitted it immediately.” OR “She finished her report; she submitted it immediately.”
Semicolon Usage (;)
Correct: “The meeting ran late; we couldn’t cover all the topics.”
Semicolons join related independent clauses or separate items in a complex list.
Colon Usage (:)
Correct: “We need three ingredients: flour, sugar, and eggs.”
Colons introduce lists, explanations, or amplifications.
Quotation Mark Placement with Punctuation
In American English: “The film was described as ‘groundbreaking.’”
Periods and commas go inside quotation marks; semicolons and colons go outside.
Run-on Sentences
Incorrect: “The project is due tomorrow everyone needs to submit their work.”
Correct: “The project is due tomorrow. Everyone needs to submit their work.”
Subject-Verb Agreement
Incorrect: “The stack of papers are on the desk.”
Correct: “The stack of papers is on the desk.”
Dangling Modifiers
Incorrect: “Walking down the street, the building came into view.”
Correct: “Walking down the street, I saw the building come into view.”
Apostrophe Misuse (note the same rule under homophones).
Incorrect: “The company celebrated it’s anniversary.”
Correct: “The company celebrated its anniversary.”
Who/Whom Confusion
“Who” is a subject (does the action): “Who wrote this report?”
“Whom” is an object (receives the action): “To whom should I address this letter?”
Misplaced Modifiers
Incorrect: “Nearly finished, the editor reviewed the article.”
Correct: “The editor reviewed the nearly finished article.”
The Enduring Value of Language Fundamentals
While grammar-checking software and automated editing tools are valuable tools in the modern writer’s arsenal, they remain imperfect substitutes for genuine language knowledge.
These programs frequently miss context-dependent errors, fail to catch correctly spelled but misused words, and sometimes suggest “corrections” that are themselves incorrect. True writing excellence comes not from outsourcing language decisions to algorithms but from internalizing fundamental rules. Writers who master the above principles will naturally avoid the pitfalls plaguing lesser work.
These fundamentals, once mastered, become the invisible foundation upon which compelling content is built.