Poor writing can make others think you aren't intelligent. I'm the executive editor of a magazine and know firsthand how grammar can change the meaning of a sentence. Don't get caught up in miscommunication. Master these simple tips.

My grammar checker and I are on a break. Due to irreconcilable differences, we are no longer on speaking terms.

The English language is constantly evolving, with new words and phrases spreading among us like an infection - we hear things, then we say those things. The problem is that we don't always bother to wonder if we should. Because of that, the original meaning of some demeaning and hateful expressions get lost in time. Here are some widely used examples.

No word receives as much lexical scorn as "irregardless" - I felt a shiver just typing it. But unlike the made-up terms it often gets lumped in with, including "supposably" and "sherbert", irregardless is technically a real word. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says so.

The other day I overheard a conversation that began with, "I'm not racist but..."

Bad start.

It followed with a bog-standard conversation about how people who move to this country should drop everything and dedicate all of their time and energy into learning to speak English. IMMEDIATELY.

Sure, learn to speak English. But here's a newsflash people: English is insanely hard and it makes no goddamn sense, like at all.

If you dream of travelling to far flung places to teach English, then becoming qualified is the first step. Globally, CELTA is the highest regarded qualification for teaching English as a foreign language. Because it’s internationally respected, it’s a very intensive course and is a steep learning curve. I’ll admit it was exhausting at times and I became a coffee addict while training for my certificate. I loved it prior to starting the course, but it soon became more than love, it became a necessity.

Last week, a 32-year-old man in the US was nearly electrocuted after falling asleep with his iPhone charging in bed. The key word here is "nearly" - a point of difference many journalists failed to make.

As any English teacher or medical student will tell you, electrocution is not the same thing as an electric shock. While the latter can cause serious injury, only the former results in instantaneous death.

Whether it's catching up on email, or working on a novel, the early morning or late hours of the night is when a lot of people finally start pecking their keyboard. But if you can help it, skip the late night sessions and save yourself some embarrassing mistakes and editing.

Without boredom, your mind can't wander and day dream. Unfortunately, it seems boredom is harder to come by these days, so you'll have to find it.

There's enough slang within the English language to make up a whole new language. If you need to do some research for an English assignment, or you're just into linguistics, this online dictionary is your best bet.

Have you ever wondered why Americans and British/Aussies spell English differently? How are colour and colour the same word? Centre and center? What's up with that? It's all thanks to Noah Webster (yeah, the Webster of Merriam-Webster). When America gained independence, Webster wanted to simplify unreasonable spellings that were handed down from the British.

iOS/Android: Pronunciation can be tough when trying to learn a new language. ELSA is an interactive language app that helps non-native English speakers learn the language based on their pronunciation.