Writing can be tricky, and even professional editors can miss a few errors. So, here are some tips to help you write right, with some common spelling and grammar mistakes.

I before E except after C, right? Unless it says "ay" as in "neighbor and weigh", and when the moon is full or it's a leap year. Of course I'm exaggerating slightly, but after some time reading and reviewing books, and even writing a few of my own, I have comprised a basic list of some of the most common spelling and grammatical errors I have encountered. 

1. Their, they’re, and there. This is a pretty basic one that often times gets overlooked. Remember that an apostrophe ( ‘ ) means a contraction, it’s shortening two words into one word. So “they’re” really means “they are” just like “it’s” means “it is”. 

If you take the “T” off “there”, you are left with “here” which is a place, just like “there” is a place.

“Their” is the one that’s left, and it means belonging - it is theirs.

They’re there for their children.

2. I or me. We all have a lot of former elementary teachers to blame for this one. 

“Is that candy for me and Billy?” 

“You mean ‘Billy and I’?” 

Actually, what we meant was “Billy and me”. This is tricky I know, but don’t give up on me just yet. Try taking the word Billy out of the sentence and see how it sounds: "That candy is for Billy and I”. 

“That candy is for I” sounds weird, right? That is because “I” becomes the object in that scenario, and we don’t use “I” as an object. “That candy is for me” sounds just fine if “me” becomes the object.

3.  A loosing battle. This one seems to bother me the most. To lose is to be unable to find something or to not win. While loose means the opposite of tight. I’m hoping you caught my mistake in saying “a loosing battle” because you’re right, it’s “a losing battle”.

4. Some Insurance. This one is also quite common, even in professional writing. To insure something is to pay an insurance company to have coverage like you do your car. To ensure something means to make something certain: “Please ensure you are at work on time tomorrow.” While to assure is to give some promise: “I assure you, I will be to work on time tomorrow.”

5. Modifiers. Here is an example sentence: "After having a cup of coffee, the day felt much better."

At first glance, it may seem nothing is wrong with the sentence, but I assure you that the day did not feel better. The day did not feel anything at all. A bit of revision can help: "After having a cup of coffee, he felt much better about his day."

This may seem small, but with more complex sentences, a misplaced modifier can generate a lot of confusion Here is another example:

"The teacher just waved to Tommy" - This implies the teacher only waved and did nothing else.

"The teacher waved just to Tommy" - This implies the teacher waved to Tommy and nobody else.

Accuracy in this area will help your readers understand what image you are trying to create in their minds. Thanks for reading, and good luck with your next book!