The English language has so many rules about grammar, spelling and punctuation that it intimidates even native speakers. Difficulty with the basic rules of English is what prevents so many people from becoming good writers. Just when they learn one rule, up pops another. Thankfully these days we have people like Grammar Girl and websites like Grammarly that help us avoid mistakes like the top five described here.

1. Less than / fewer than.
Even newscasters and experienced public speakers misspeak when it comes to the proper way to convey the fact that there were not as many or there were not as many as.

The bottom line? Less is for things you do not count. Fewer is for things you count. Use less when you're referring to something that can't be counted or doesn't have a plural (e.g. money, air, time, music, rain).

So, according to the Oxford Dictionary, Fewer than 30 children each year develop the disease. And, It's a better job but they pay you less money.

2. Prior to vs. Before.
Both are grammatically correct, but Grammar Girl recommends that we use Before, which is nearly always the better choice. Keep it simple, she says.

Rather than Prior to becoming a clown, Bob was an accountant; write Before becoming an award-winning clown, Bob was an accountant.

3. i.e. vs. e.g.
Both abbreviations for Latin terms, i.e. stands for id est and means ‘that is.’ e.g. stands for exempli gratia, which means ‘for example.’ Mistaking or interchanging these two Latin abbreviations is very common. Don’t second-guess yourself, even if someone says you are wrong.

4. Capitalizing Job Titles.
Everyone wants to feel important. Some people equate their importance and the importance of their jobs, with capitalization – even when capitalizing their title would be incorrect. You must determine if the job title is part of an official title, or if it merely describes someone’s role.

In general, titles that come before names are capitalized and titles that come after names are lowercase. If the description is part of a person’s official title, it’s capitalized. But if the so-called title merely describes someone’s role, it’s lowercase. Most job descriptions – actor Dustin Hoffman, writer Cathi Douglas – are not considered titles and are not capitalized. Formal titles denote a scope of authority, professional rank or academic rank, such as professor, judge, mayor, doctor, king.

Never capitalize a title used alone, no matter how important it seems. The president signed the bill; the pope blessed the multitude.

5. Light, lit, lighted.
Why do we have two past-tense forms of the verb to light? Maybe you’ve even wondered which is correct, lit or lighted.

Lighted is a regular verb, because you make it past tense by adding ed to the end. Lit is an irregular verb because you change the spelling to make it past tense.

In the past, English had a lot more irregular verbs. Over time, many changed form and became regular, making English much simpler. For some reason, light took the opposite route. Long ago, people used the irregular verb, saying they lit candles. For a time, the verb moved toward becoming regular, with people saying they lighted candles. And then, inexplicably, people started using lit as past tense, and it is still the most common form used today.

Lit and lighted also can be used as adjectives, such as a lit hallway or lighted hallway. In American English, lit and lighted seem to be used about equally, while lit is more common as an adjective in British English.

For more grammar tips…
Grammar Girl - Grammar: Quick and Dirty Tips ™
www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar

Grammarly: Free Grammar Checker
https://www.grammarly.com/
Online proofreading tool that checks text for grammar, punctuation, and style, and features a contextual spelling checker and plagiarism detector.

Working in a busy newsroom requires reporters to develop the ability to concentrate deeply in the midst of chaos. Loud sportswriters wisecracking about the World Series? Police radio blaring about a hostage situation? No matter. One’s story must be compelling and succinct, submitted on time and without grammatical, spelling or factual errors. Readers (and editors) depend on it.

It may be my decade working in newsrooms that makes me immune to most distractions when I’m writing. Husband chatters. Phones ring. Computers flash. My full attention is on the story; it will be on time and under budget. It will sing.

Shiny Object Syndrome Explained
Still, there are some times when a shiny object captures my attention. Look! There’s a new app that will track my time better! Oh! Here’s a project management system that could be more economical! I must stop immediately to learn about these things!

I sometimes fall victim to Shiny Object Syndrome, or what some call Squirrel Syndrome. Distracted by Facebook posts, online shopping opportunities or email announcements, I lose valuable time chasing the Next Big Thing. Yet I am rarely thankful that I wasted valuable writing time – and even more rarely do I agree that the amazing new thing can actually change my life.

Summing up the syndrome is executive coach Heather Gray, recently writing in Entrepreneur: “Whatever you call it, the concept is familiar to entrepreneurs: products, ideas, services, and conversations that effectively replace our plans and focus with doubts and second-guessing. These are the things that make us pause and ask ourselves “Am I doing this right? Am I sure this is the best way?”

Why We Suffer from the Syndrome
“We fear that we don’t know all the things,” Gray writes. “We worry that there is a better, more efficient way. We question whether or not we have really thought of everything. Let’s call this by its less sexy name: Anxiety.” As Gray notes, we’re insecure. “A shiny new thing captures our attention, distracts us from our intent and enables that doubt and worry to root and take hold.”

As if we don’t have enough on our plates already, the Shiny Objects threaten us on every level. Overburdened with trying to keep up with too much information, in the midst of our most concentrated tasks we fall prey to interruptions that underscore our deepest insecurities. We worry that we are ‘not  enough’– we aren’t doing enough, working hard enough, being a good-enough partner, friend, parent or offspring. These Change-My-Life interruptions feed into our anxiety.

The Costs of Chasing Squirrels
Interruptions cause us to lose focus and cost us time, money and momentum. That is bad business. But making things worse is that we have entered what many people are calling the “attention economy,” says mindfulness expert Rasmus Hougaard, writing in the Harvard Business Review. In the attention economy, Hougaard explains, the ability to maintain focus and concentration is every bit as important as technical or management skills. “And because leaders need to absorb and synthesize a growing flood of information in order to make good decisions, they’re hit particularly hard by this emerging trend.”

How We Beat the Squirrels and Ignore the Shiny Objects
When things distract us, we must have the internal fortitude to refuse to pay attention. Belief in ourselves means developing the self-confidence necessary to focus unwaveringly on the task at hand. “Every time we let a shiny object distract us from our plans for today and from what we are capable of achieving, fear wins and entrepreneurship loses,” says Gray.

Still, snapping back to our work is challenging. Productivity experts recommend turning off the phone, ignoring emails, resisting the urge to hop onto social media – but that’s not always possible. Yet there is a particularly useful activity that boosts your resistance to distractions and bolsters your self-confidence: Practice mindfulness.

Being mindful means having keen focus and awareness; the ability to concentrate on what you’re doing to the exclusion of everything else; and the power to recognize and release unnecessary distractions.

“Understand that mindfulness is not just a sedentary practice; mindfulness is about developing a sharp, clear mind,” writes Hougaard. “Mindfulness in action is a great alternative to the illusory practice of multitasking.”

Testament from the Trenches
Mindful working means that as soon as I sit down to write I am focused and aware of everything I’m doing. Focusing on my assignment, I recognize and release internal and external distractions as they arise. In this way, mindfulness helps increase my effectiveness, decreases potential mistakes and enhances my creativity.

If something pops into my head that I need to do, I make note of it so I can deal with it later and get back to the task at hand.

I pause to take breaks every hour to cease activity and do a minute of deep, mindful breathing, as Hougaard recommends. This helps me resist fatigue, stay sharp and avoid poor decisions, especially in mid- to late-afternoon when I begin to fade.

There are many useful apps dedicated to the practice of mindful meditation, and some of them are free. Spotify and other music apps offer meditation selections. Books and articles online discuss the practice. While I don’t incorporate mindfulness successfully in everything I do, I’m working on it.

The practice of taking three deep, calming breaths, closing my eyes and focusing on my breathing has made me much calmer, more confident and centered. I’m aware of my surroundings, my breath, my health – and I’m able to meet demanding deadlines without distraction Best of all, I give each moment the attention it deserves and as a result live and enjoy each one.