March Insurance Marketing Grammar Goofs — Three Mistakes to Avoid

19 March, 2013

What did you do to celebrate National Grammar Day on March 4? If the day passed you by unnoticed, don't worry, there are still plenty of ways to honor good grammar. Now is the perfect time to do a little spring cleaning. Scrutinize your website, your letterhead and your fliers for common spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Is the text easy to read? Does the copy flow well? Is there anything that can be cut or rearranged for better understanding?

This month, we will look at three grammar goofs that you can't rely on a spell-checker to fix for you.

Goof #1: There, their, they're

  • There is an adverb indicating a direction, place or position. Example: The room for the annual convention for insurance marketing professionals is over there. 
  • Their is a possessive pronoun. Example: The insurance marketing professionals held their annual convention. 
  • They're is a contraction for they are. Example: They're at the annual convention for insurance marketing professionals.

Goof #2: It's, its

  • It's is a contraction for it is.Example: It's important to properly market your business. 
  • Its is the possessive form of the neuter pronoun "it." Example: The new insurance marketing website looks great. Its design is sleek and easy to read.

Goof #3: Then, than

  • Then is a time element. It can mean "next" or "at that time." Example: I finished the insurance proposal and then called the client. 
  • Than introduces a comparison. Example: Our new insurance marketing website gets more hits a day than the old version.

Remember, good grammar leads to greater professionalism and more sales!  Stay tuned every month for more grammar tips to help you “goof-proof” your insurance marketing! 

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