Welcome back, Friday Follies Followers! The Grammar Cop has come across several miscreants (“n., people who behave badly, often by breaking rules of conduct or the law”) over the last while. Here are their crimes – read ’em and weep!

1. “He conducted a spacewalk, piloted Mars Rover ‘Bridget’ on a course in Stevenage U.K., and lead spacecraft to dock at the station.”
2. “With any NSAID, there is the potential for increased bleeding due to their affect on platelet aggregation.”
3. “No matter how good of a writer you are, when you sit down to write a first draft, you have a tendency to spit out sentences in a certain way or use certain words.”

The corrections:

1. Apparently “he” was able to do all that, yet he didn’t know that the past tense of “lead” is led. He led the spacecraft to dock at the station.
2. Here’s an infraction the Grammar Cop sees way too often. “Affect” is a verb. “Effect” is the noun. It should say for increased bleeding due to their effect on platelet aggregation. (Yes, there are indeed times that “affect” can be a noun, and “effect” can be a verb. But THIS ISN’T ONE OF THEM. 😀 ) Seriously, when in doubt, check a dictionary. This will get you started.
3. Ironically, this ugly boo-boo appears in a list of tips on writing and editing! What on earth is that “of” doing in there? To say “how good of a writer” is to be guilty of a  crime against the English language. It shows that the perpetrator does not know the difference between bad writing and decent writing. It should say: No matter how good a writer you are, when you sit down… Actually, I would prefer: Even if you’re a good writer, when you sit down to write… And no, I don’t know why. 😉

The Grammar Cop hopes that her little lesson has had a good effect on you, and that you’ve been led to a better understanding of the legal requirements of the English language. Have an excellent week!