1. All right, not Alright

Just like all wrong, all right is two words.

2. Presently vs. Currently

Presently means in a little while.

Currently means now.

3. Lie vs. Lay:

Lie is an intransitive verb that takes no object.

Today I lie down. (I never lay down now or go lay on the beach.)

Yesterday I lay down.

In the past I have lain down.

Lay is a transitive verb that takes object

The chicken lays an egg. (egg is the object)

Today I lay the book on the table.

Yesterday I laid the book on the table.

In the past I have lain the book on the table.

4. Less vs. Few

Less refers to quality

I have less to lose from this than you do.

There is less tension in the room than before.

Few refers to quantity:

There are few people in the room that know the truth.

There are fewer people at this meeting than the last one.

5. Loan vs. Lend

Loan is a noun: I signed the loan this afternoon.

Lend is a verb. They agreed to lend me the money.

6. Among vs. Between

Between refers to two people: Between you and me.

Among refers to many people: They divided the candy among the group.

7.  One another vs. each other

Each other is between two people: We love each other.

One another refers to many people: Families love one another.

8.  The War Between Me and I:

Between you and me . . .

Not: Between you and I.

She gave the book to Kate and me.

Not: She gave the book to Kate and I.

9. The War between Him/He and Her/She:

The money was given to her and Ginny.

Not: The money was given to she and Ginny.

He and I went to the movies.

Not: Him and I went to the movies.

10. The impersonal "One"

The use of "one" as an impersonal pronoun is awkward and pretentious.

One can only hope the tide doesn't rise above the wall.

We hope the tide doesn't rise above the wall.

11. The Elusive Participial Phrase

Make certain the participial phrase agrees with the subject of the

sentence.

On landing his plane, the pilot smiled.

Not: On landing his plane, the crew applauded the smiling pilot.

"His" refers to the subject of the sentence: the pilot, not the crew.

12. Matching Nouns and Verbs:

Each child took his or her bag of candy.

Not: Each child took their bag of candy.

To avoid this awkwardness:

Each child took a bag of candy.

13. Collective nouns

Make certain the verb agrees with the collective noun

An increasing number of people is gathering for the protest.

Not: An increasing number of people are gathering for the protest.

The verb refers to "number," not "people."