A Pointless Grammar Vent

[BostonTigger]

Originally posted by r3ngels
Please don't read my posts then (or is it than) because my mom is a teacher and I stopped e-mailing her. She corrected me to often! LOL

That would irritate me. I don't like it when my fiancee corrects me while I'm talking. I know I don't have perfect grammer. Please don't correct this if it's wrong.

 

[BostonTigger]

Originally posted by tar heel
I also can't understand how anyone can confuse "there" and "their."

I'll confess, I can get confused. I know, I'm being stupid, but I can get confused. I'm just getting to, too and two (just kidding on this last one) figured out.

 

[olena]

My neck hurts from nodding so much!

Mistakes in they're, their, and there can really throw me when I see them used incorrectly. And using 'of' in lieu of 'have' drives me nuts. I also get picky about subject-verb agreement. Yes, I know I'm anal about it, but I can't help it. Chris is in law school right now and I'm his proofreader. I've read some court opinions and I just about lost it. Some judges out there have never heard of commas! Legal documents are full of long sentences and run-ons.

 

[phillybeth]

Originally posted by cinmell
Here's one:

Yous guys!

I just want to strangle people when they say yous guys!

Actually it is YOUSE, and it is quite acceptable here in Philly It's the Philly version of all y'all.

 

[Rokkitsci]

Originally posted by DisneyVillain
And a preposition is a terrible thing to end a sentence with!

Winston Churchill was accused of ending sentences with prepositions, and he replied "That is a criticism up with which I will not put."

 

[Rokkitsci]

Originally posted by BostonTigger
That would irritate me. I don't like it when my fiancee corrects me while I'm talking. I know I don't have perfect grammer. Please don't correct this if it's wrong.

grammar - not grammer.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

Originally posted by damo
It surprises me when people think "a lot" is one word.

LOL!! Guess what? I LEARNED this correction here on the DIS. And I think it might have been from YOU, Damo, in a similar thread!!

I also learned in that same while-ago thread how to spell definite! Someone pointed out the word FINITE is in there! I used to put an A in there somewhere! I see definite spelled incorrectly quite a lot.

 

[phillybeth]

Originally posted by Rokkitsci
Winston Churchill was accused of ending sentences with prepositions, and he replied "That is a criticism up with which I will not put."

Actually, not ending a sentence with a preposition is an archaic rule. Trying to force the English language to meet the grammar rules of a dead language that was at one time seen to be superior (Latin) just doesn't work.

And ain't IS a word. It's a dialect version of 'is not' from England. For some reason though it is seen in modern times as being uncultured and common. BTW, did you know the work 'nice' used to mean nasty? And awful at one time meant full of awe until it evolved into its current meaning of terrible.

 

[Elwood Blues]

Originally posted by Twinkles6892
No no no means no, the first two no's cancel each other out, leaving one no.

So.....

When telling a child that you don't want them to do something you must use an odd number of nos?

Do you think they'd even "get it"?

 

[KelNottAt]

I'm another who can't stand "I" in place of "me." It drives me crazy!

Funny thing, I hardly ever hear people make the same mistake with other pronouns from the nominative case (he, she, we, they). They just focus on misusing "I."

I call it pronoun inflation.

Kelley

 

[Elwood Blues]

A coworker uses the word "wan" and "mines".

Wan does not mean "wide area network".

 

[cheyita]

It drives me absolutely crazy when someone says to "itch" a mosquito bite or rash. Duh - it already itches. They need to scratch it!

At my kids' school the parent volunteers are helping children create books. I won't even get into the typing errors. However, the part that really bothers me, is that when a parent comes in to take a child's dictation, the parent is called the "dictator." Nooo...they TAKE dictation. The child is the dictator.

 

[Laura]

When people put apostrophes in plural nouns.

Example:
When people put apostrophe's in plural noun's.

 

[PryncessChrysty]

LOL - I am cracking up reading everyone's pet peeves. I know I have already posted one of mine, but I just have to post few more. However, this has more to do with spelling than grammar.

I can't stand when people spell definitely with a's in place of the i's. I've seen it many different ways, but one example is definatly. Another thing that irritates me is when people add an 'n' to condescending. My old manager uses it all of the time and it drives me ! She would say "condeNscending."

I know, all of these things aren't really *that* important. Just my own neuroses, I suppose.

BTW, I have to agree with the people that mentioned there, their and they're. Along with to, too and two and your vs. you're. Oh, and the prolly. I actually saw someone spell it out here on the DIS like that the other day. I mean no offense to that poster, but I was actually shocked!

The your vs. you're always reminds of that episode of Friends where Ross & Rachel break up for good, so funny!

 

[slimplaw]

I dislike the improper use of your/you're, their/there/they're and to/two/too.

 

[Jockaroo]

This is one I saw all the time when I worked in marketing at a hospital. It came from nurses who were well-educated. "The patient has their rights." Sorry, but patient is a singular noun. Singular items are not "their". Apparently we are striving to be a gender neutral society and using "their" accomplishes this in the eyes of some.

Sorry but it really is "The patient has his rights."

I am not a fan of the his/her way of solving this problem either. But on the bright side, at least the nurses used the correct form of "their."

 

[LisaZoe]

Originally posted by Jockaroo
This is one I saw all the time when I worked in marketing at a hospital. It came from nurses who were well-educated. "The patient has their rights." Sorry, but patient is a singular noun. Singular items are not "their". Apparently we are striving to be a gender neutral society and using "their" accomplishes this in the eyes of some.

Sorry but it really is "The patient has his rights."

I am not a fan of the his/her way of solving this problem either. But on the bright side, at least the nurses used the correct form of "their."

It's too bad English doesn't have a gender neutral pronoun for this kind of thing rather than "it". I think so many people don't want to seem politically incorrect by using a masculine pronoun and the "he/she" thing is awkward to read. I've noticed in some books and magazines with examples used for illustrations, the gender of the pronoun used will be alternated in the examples. When I can do so, I try to use the word "one" in such a sentence but wonder if that might not come across as pompous. As an example:

As a patient, one has rights.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Well, I seem to know most of the rules here--though I violate them an awful lot when typing quickly.

I always wonder if people become annoyed with my dash punctuation. When I type very fast I use dashes to break up the sentences. Okay, slap my wrists, now! (Was that a comma splice? I still don't know what a comma splice is!)

Not really a peeve, but how about when you answer the phone or call someone. The exchange below:

"Hello"
"May I speak to Lisa please?"
"This is she"

How many say or hear "This is her" or "This is him"? I do not hear it much--but mostly because the person doesn't affirm that you are indeed speaking with them if I ask to speak with them. But when I do--bothers me a little.

 

[tiggernan]

The misuse of lose/loose! Example: The frequent addition of an extra 'O' to 'lose' is making me loose my mind!

 

[Pop Daddy]

hey