Grammar pedant alert!
Recently. I’ve spotted two grammar pitfalls that lots of accounts on social media are using incorrectly. There must be something in the air; even some established marketing agencies are doing it!
Here they are
Fair or Fare?
In most instances, the use of the word ‘fair’ would be the correct one. “The weather is fair”, for example, or “We’re going to ride the big wheel at the fair”. Perfect.
The one that seems to be confusing people is when someone or something is faring well. For example, “how are you faring in your new job?” or “How do you think you will fare in your new job?”
In this instance, it’s not ‘fair’ or ‘fairing’. It’s fare. F-A-R-E.
Bear or Bare?
So if you need to ask someone to be a little patient while you get yourself together, should it be ‘bear with me’ or ‘bare with me’?
Well, one version is technically asking someone to get naked in your company, so it could be right, but I suspect not.
The correct version is ‘bear with me’ – the dictionary definition of bear being ‘to endure’ – see this post from Grammarly which explains this much more eloquently.
While you’re there, why not download Grammarly? It really is brilliant.
Photo credit – Ferris Wheel photo by Andrea Enríquez Cousiño on Unsplash
Photo credit – Bear photo by Jessica Weiller on Unsplash
To see our post about more common grammar pitfalls using gratuitous cat pics, check out – common grammar pitfalls. In cats.
