Common Grammar Errors in Public Relations Writing (and How to Avoid Them)

Hello future public relations mavens! It’s time for more writing insights specifically for you. In the dynamic world of PR, your writing needs to be impeccable. A single grammatical error can mar an otherwise brilliant press release or social media post.

Fear not! Here’s a list of common grammar errors often seen in public relations writing, and tips on how to avoid them:

1. It’s vs. Its

  • Error: Confusing “it’s” (it is) with “its” (possessive form of it).
  • Fix: Remember, “it’s” is a contraction for “it is.” If you can’t replace “it’s” with “it is,” then you should use “its.”

2. Your vs. You’re

  • Error: Mixing up “your” (possessive) and “you’re” (you are).
  • Fix: Test your sentence by replacing “you’re” with “you are.” If it doesn’t make sense, use “your.”

3. Passive Voice Overuse

  • Error: Using passive voice, making sentences weak.
  • Fix: Write in active voice to make your statements more direct and engaging. Instead of “The product was launched by the company,” say “The company launched the product.”

4. Comma Splices

  • Error: Connecting two independent clauses with just a comma.
  • Fix: Use a semicolon, conjunction, or break into two sentences. “We unveiled the new product, it was a success” should be “We unveiled the new product; it was a success.”

5. Dangling Modifiers

  • Error: Placing a modifier too far from the word it’s describing.
  • Fix: Keep modifiers close to the words they modify. Change “Walking into the room, the product caught everyone’s eye” to “As she walked into the room, the product caught everyone’s eye.”

6. Redundancy

  • Error: Repeating ideas unnecessarily.
  • Fix: Be concise. Instead of “free gift,” just say “gift.”

7. Incorrect Use of “That” and “Which”

  • Error: Using “that” and “which” interchangeably.
  • Fix: Use “that” for essential clauses and “which” for non-essential clauses. “The campaign that succeeded” vs. “The campaign, which succeeded.”

8. Wordiness

  • Error: Using too many words.
  • Fix: Be clear and concise. Instead of “due to the fact that,” simply use “because.”

9. Apostrophe Misuse

  • Error: Adding an apostrophe to plural words.
  • Fix: Remember, apostrophes usually show possession or contractions, not plurals. It’s “FAQs,” not “FAQ’s.”

10. Incorrect Parallel Structure

  • Error: Misaligning items in a list or series.
  • Fix: Make sure all items in your list follow the same structure. “Our strategy is innovative, exciting, and inspires action” should be “Our strategy is innovative, exciting, and inspiring.”

These errors might seem small, but in public relations, precision matters. Keep these common mistakes in mind as you draft and edit, and you’ll enhance both the clarity and professionalism of your writing.

Keep striving for excellence, and may your PR writing be error-free!

What questions do you have about writing? Or maybe you have some tips to share?

NOTES

The framework of this article was inspired by ChatGPT. Images were created using Adobe Firefly.

Grammar Girl: My Superhero

Grammar Girl? She must be a superhero!” exclaimed my daughter Katey last week when she was peeking over my shoulder as I read some of my tweets.

After I finished laughing, I stopped to think about what Katey said. I guess Katey’s right: Grammar Girl is my superhero. Anyone who can take a subject that could be dry (at best) and turn it into an intriguing, humorous and award-winning podcast and then a book has done something amazing, something that most humans cannot do. That sounds like superhero work to me!

I’ve been a listener of Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl podcast for about six months now. My favorite episode of Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips is the one on when to use lay and when to use lie. My tendency had been to substitute a word rather than figure out the rule. Now I think I may understand it! (The true test of this will occur when I explain to my public relations students when to use which word.)

Wednesday evening, Katey and I are making a girls-only road trip to the Atlanta area to meet Mignon in person and have our copy of Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing signed.

To subscribe to the Grammar Girl podcast, visit the Quick and Dirty Tips website. You’ll be glad you did.

Take the Grammar Girl Challenge; it’s on the right sidebar of Public Relations Matters. Let me know how you did!

And finally, if you know what the punctuation mark is right under the letter G in “girl” in Katey’s poster, drop me a comment here. Hint: Look close; it’s not a question mark.