loose: Not tight, fastened, contained, or restrained.
Correct: The chimney has a few loose bricks. My shoes are too loose.
Incorrect: If we don’t try harder, we’ll loose the race.

lose: To fail to win. To rid oneself of. Misplace.
Correct: I always lose my car keys. I want to lose ten pounds by summer.
Incorrect: That shirt was too lose on me.

stationary: Not moving. Not capable of being moved. Unchanging.
Correct: At the gym I usually ride the stationary bike for cardio exercise.
Incorrect: We bought some nice birthday cards at the stationary store.

stationery: Writing paper and envelopes. Writing materials and office supplies.
Correct: The artist designed new school stationery.
Incorrect: As I walked by him, I noticed he was completely stationery, just standing there.

compliment: An expression of praise, admiration, or congratulation. Good wishes.
Correct: Please extend my compliments to your parents on their anniversary.
Incorrect: These chairs compliment the room beautifully.

complement: Something that completes, makes up a whole, or brings to perfection.
Correct: This slice of lime is the perfect complement for my diet soda.
Incorrect: I’ve received many complements on my new outfit.

allot: To parcel out, distribute, or apportion. To allocate.
Correct: We will allot 30 minutes to each speaker on the panel.
Incorrect: I really like her allot.

a lot: Very many, a large number. Very much.
Correct: A lot of people are coming to the party.
Incorrect: They will a lot the land to the homesteaders.

criterion (singular): A standard, rule, or test on which a judgment or decision can be based.
criteria (plural): Standards, rules, or tests on which a judgment or decision can be based.

Correct: He has a very specific criterion (fat content) for selecting his lunch.
Incorrect: I have five criterions that I’ll use to judge your performance.
Correct: He has three very important criteria for determining who the agency will be: chemistry, category experience, and creative.
Incorrect: I have five criterias that I’ll use to judge your performance.
Incorrect: I have just one criteria to determine what to do after work.

medium (singular): A channel of communication.
media (plural): Channels of communication.

Correct: Radio is the most-indicated medium for this campaign.
Incorrect: Radio is the most-indicated media for this campaign.
Correct: Radio and Television are the media that will give us the best combined delivery.
Incorrect: Radio and Television are the mediums that will give us the best combined delivery.

datum (singular): A piece of information.
data (plural): A set of information.

Correct: Household Income is the one datum that is missing from this chart.
Incorrect: Household Income is the one data that is missing from this chart.
Correct: Household Income is the one piece of data that is missing from this chart.
Correct: All the data point to the fact that this segment is the correct one to target.
Incorrect: All the datas point to the fact that this segment is the correct one to target.

Of or Have
As in “You should of been there” rather than the correct “You should have been there.” The first one is a preposition and the second one is a verb. Because they sound similar when used in a sentence like that, they’re often used incorrectly.

Its or It’s
The first is an adjective, the possessive form of the pronoun “it.” The second is the contraction for “it is” or “it has.” In usage, you would say “It’s terrible that a polar bear has to die because its habitat is melting due to global warming.” If you can’t substitute “it is” or “it has,” then you should write “its.”

Whose or Who’s
The first is an adjective, the possessive form of the pronouns “who” or “which.” The second is a contraction of “who is” or “who has.” In usage, you would say “He is a man whose power has greatly eroded but who’s still captured the hearts of many.”

Site or Sight
The first refers to a place, a location, a setting, a website. The second refers to the ability to see, or the act of seeing, or something seen or worth seeing, or the foreseeable future. In usage, you would say “The fight over the site of the new shopping mall looks like it has no end in sight.”

Irregardless or Regardless
The second is an adjective that means “unmindful” or “heedless” or an adverb that means “in spite of everything” or “anyway” (for example “This old car continues to run regardless of how old it gets”). The first simply does not exist.

Irrespective or Respective
The first, an adjective, is an archaic version of “regardless” (see above). It also means “characterized by disregard; heedless.” Regardless is the preferred word choice in common usage. The second, another adjective, means “relating to two or more persons or things regarded individually” or “particular.” In usage, you would say “Both Batman and Superman are successful in their respective fields.”

Status Quo or Quid Pro Quo
The first is a noun that means “the existing condition or state of affairs” or simply said, “the way things are now.” The second means “an equal exchange or substitution” and is commonly used in a context of “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” or “you do this for me and I’ll do that for you.”

Condemn or Condone
Both are verbs. The first means to “express strong disapproval of” or “to pronounce judgment against” or “to declare unfit for use,” among similar others. In usage you’d say “This old building was condemned” and “The charitable organizations condemned the needless waste of food and water” and “Ken Lay was condemned to 200 years in prison.” The second is quite different, meaning “to overlook, or disregard (an offense) without protest.” In usage, you’d say “Failure to protest the immigration policy may imply willingness to condone it.”

Effect or Affect
The first can be a noun (meaning “a result”) or a verb, while the second can also be a noun (with the stress on the first syllable, meaning “a feeling or emotion”) or a verb (with the stress on the last syllable). The most confused pair is effect and affect as verbs because they’re similar. Effect as a verb means “to bring about, to bring into existence, to produce a result” and affect means “to have an influence in, to impact something.” Thus the sentence “These measures may affect savings” implies that the measures may reduce savings that have already been realized, whereas “These measures may effect savings” implies that the measures will cause new savings to come about. Both are correct, but their meanings are different and their usage can be tricky.

I Couldn’t Care Less or I Could Care Less
The first means “to be completely indifferent.” In usage, you would say “Wear whatever you like; I couldn’t care less.” Around 1960 people started using “could” instead of “couldn’t” and today both are frequently used. The second one, however, means the opposite of the first.

Tone or Tonality
The second is a noun that means “an arrangement of seven tones built on a tonic key” or “the arrangement of all the tones and chords of a composition.” It also means “the interrelation of the tones in a painting.” The first also has musical and painting-related meanings, but adds the following non-musical ones: “manner of expression in speech or writing.” In usage you would say “The tone of this ad should be upbeat and positive.” The word tonality doesn’t really apply to written or spoken word so you should use the word tone when referring to (for example) tone and manner of advertising.

Mnemonic or Pneumatic
The first means “something that is used as an aid in remembering” (like making up a sentence to remember the planets of the solar system (in order from the sun) in which the first letter of each word is the first letter of the planet’s name: My Very Eager Mother Just Sewed Us Nine Pajamas). The second means “something relating to air or other gasses” (like a pneumatic drill).

So here are his tips, with my editorial thrown in. By the way, the article really should have been called “A Copywriter’s Spin on The Elements of Style” since, as everyone knows, book titles should be set in italics. But I digress.

1. Put The Reader First. This tip simply reminds the writer to mind his or her reader. Focus on what you want to communicate and to whom, then do so clearly. Overall, you should ask yourself if the writing clearly communicated to the intended audience in the most relevant, clear, and effective way possible.
2. Organize Your Thoughts. This is a no-brainer, of course, but so often forgotten. I’ve seen many people at all levels just start writing. Some start up PowerPoint and start drafting a deck, for example. You should have (at least in your head) at least an outline of what you’re going to communicate and arrange your thoughts accordingly before you put fingers to keyboard.
3. Use Short Paragraphs. This also is not that difficult and it’s related to the one preceding it. Shorter paragraphs, driven by good organization, are easier to consume and understand. They also force you to be efficient with your writing. Try to keep your prose chunked to small paragraphs.
4. Use Short Sentences. Same as above. Try to keep sentences short and tight, with one clear thought. It will make it easier for your readers to follow your writing.
5. Be Specific. Why say the shoot will take several days when you know it will take four days? Why quote the client “about $10M” if you know it’s actually $9,765? If you know the specifics, use them (you know you’ll have to do it later anyway).
6. Be Clear. I know this sounds redundant, but it deserves its own point. If what you’re thinking in your head doesn’t make it unscathed into your reader’s head, you have not achieved your objective. Look critically at what you write (before pressing “Send”) and edit yourself ruthlessly. If it’s not as clear as it can possibly be, rework it.

A very good and short book on writing that everyone should own is The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and it’s available from Amazon here for under ten bucks, last time I checked.

It got to the point that I thought I knew more than my boss, the Account Supervisor on the business. I ran my projects well, with not a ton of supervision, and usually with no issues. I even had some minor client contact and did not embarrass myself or the agency. I thought that I was indispensable. And that’s when it started.

I began to keep my boss just a little less informed than normal, and give her information just a little later than before. I started sharing less, less often, and later. I was the keeper of the information. I had the knowledge. She didn’t. Knowledge is power, they say, so I was powerful. I continued like that for a while, almost walking on air intoxicated by my perception of power. I was like the squirrel stashing away nuts for the winter, storing away information so that I could sound smart or knowledgeable (more up to speed or up to date than my boss, even) if anyone asked anything.

Hoarding makes your cheeks floppy

Then it happened. We had a problem. A big problem. A big client problem. It was traced back to part of my work, to things that I managed. Things that I had been managing myself without sharing as much with my supervisor. All of a sudden, all eyes were upon me. Lots of questions were asked “how could this happen?” was a popular one), all the way up to the Director of Client Services. I was freaked out and afraid I’d lose my job (which made sense considering that my not sharing information had kept the agency in the dark about something that seemed insignificant to me then but to the trained eye of my managers would have meant something).

In the end, no one was fired and things were cleared up. My Account Supervisor heroically covered for me and taught me a huge lesson in the process. From then on, I was the most prolific sharer of information out there. I learned that having the information itself does not really give any power. It’s knowing what to do with it that does. It’s not about having the information and keeping it to yourself (where’s the power in that?). It’s about the power of sharing it and letting those around you know that you have it (that’s power).

I learned that the more I shared with my Account Supervisor, the more she saw how I was understanding things, managing things, and being proactive. That helped her assess my performance and it allowed me to grow. It also made my boss look good. And there I learned that making my boss look good makes me look good. It all trickles down.

Information about the client business, about a project’s status, about what someone said in a creative presentation related to our work, all wants to be free. Sharing it often with your supervisors lets them stay abreast of what’s going on (which is part of your job) and helps them help you do yours (which is part of their job).

Keep your boss informed of things so that he or she is not surprised (in any business, surprises are not exactly welcome) by any development. Keep your team abreast of what’s going on so that everyone benefits from your information and you benefit from theirs. And don’t hoard. It makes your cheeks floppy.