[ OT ] Common spelling and grammar mistakes , as explained by John Green , the author of `` The Fault in Our Stars ''

I feel like it's worth pointing out that a lot of these are kind of situational. I think all of these rules are good to follow if what you're writing is something you're trying to submit to someone formally or something, but a lot of them are not important in casual writing ( such as someone's dialogue or something like that ). For example, `` literally'' has been used for hyperbole for a very long time -- I know I've heard that Nathaniel Hawthorne did it, and I hardly think he was the first. It pisses a lot of people off but it's not like it's a new phenomenon and it's not like it's a corruption of the language. 
 
 Things about spelling and homonyms and stuff should probably be followed just about all the time though.
