Aaaaah good one
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Grammar Pet Peeves
- Thread starter kittkatt
- Start Date
You're realer than I am! I've only been here since 1969...Originally Posted by Duchess15
I was born here, but I'm not a real Texan.
Originally Posted by CarolPetunia
You're realer than I am! I've only been here since 1969...
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- Dec 20, 2006
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Most people have already pointed the main annoyance out, improper use of homonyms.
I can understand if the person is a kid or maybe even a teen, but when someone is in their twenties (with a college education) or older, it's ridiculous.
Stop being lazy, use a dictionary and make sure you know the meaning of the word you're using.
Double negatives and the use of 'ain't'. It's not a word and if the writing is formal, say for a newspaper or magazine article, it makes the writer look stupid.
(Yes, typical Oklahomans use ain't, y'all, and all the other Southernisms in speech too. It makes me cringe.)
Not a grammar mistake, but a spelling one. When people have their location indicating that they are in the US and have mentioned they were born in 'such and such' state make very obvious spelling mistakes that even a five year old wouldn't make. How does one misspell egg?
Another awful one is bad book editors.
I can understand if the person is a kid or maybe even a teen, but when someone is in their twenties (with a college education) or older, it's ridiculous.
Stop being lazy, use a dictionary and make sure you know the meaning of the word you're using.
Double negatives and the use of 'ain't'. It's not a word and if the writing is formal, say for a newspaper or magazine article, it makes the writer look stupid.
(Yes, typical Oklahomans use ain't, y'all, and all the other Southernisms in speech too. It makes me cringe.)
Not a grammar mistake, but a spelling one. When people have their location indicating that they are in the US and have mentioned they were born in 'such and such' state make very obvious spelling mistakes that even a five year old wouldn't make. How does one misspell egg?
Another awful one is bad book editors.
I can't stand it when people say 'I seen' instead of 'I saw' or 'I have seen'. It drives me mad! Also some of the country folks round here pronounce 'tremendous' as 'tremenjous'. It irritates me like nails on a blackboard.
Also spelling mistakes on menus etc, especially laminated ones that are permanent! I notice a lot of people spell 'wednesday' 'wensday'. Aaargh! I have also observed 'potato' being spelled as 'potatoe' and many more.
I really shouldn't have opened this thread........
Also spelling mistakes on menus etc, especially laminated ones that are permanent! I notice a lot of people spell 'wednesday' 'wensday'. Aaargh! I have also observed 'potato' being spelled as 'potatoe' and many more.
I really shouldn't have opened this thread........
Now, since Trav has fixed my keyboard its time for me to start posting again!
Carolpetunia, can you please come and take over my grammar classes?
Secondly, i've had this debate in IMO, but being away from work so long has caused the factor that I could care less about forums or chatrooms having spelling mistakes, although I do have one pet peeve.
Southern English people (not all but i realised a great amount of people) getting their tenses mixed up, it sounds horrible and it makes them look extremely stupid. I let it go with some people I know around here, but to be honest, I am so glad my parents moved away when I was SIX!!!
Also, some of the users spelling mistakes when they type on here, especially when they see the same word written over and over again, it makes me wonder if they are even paying attention to what other posters say!
Rant over, now you can bag my mistakes!!
Carolpetunia, can you please come and take over my grammar classes?
Secondly, i've had this debate in IMO, but being away from work so long has caused the factor that I could care less about forums or chatrooms having spelling mistakes, although I do have one pet peeve.
Southern English people (not all but i realised a great amount of people) getting their tenses mixed up, it sounds horrible and it makes them look extremely stupid. I let it go with some people I know around here, but to be honest, I am so glad my parents moved away when I was SIX!!!
Also, some of the users spelling mistakes when they type on here, especially when they see the same word written over and over again, it makes me wonder if they are even paying attention to what other posters say!
Rant over, now you can bag my mistakes!!
That's one of my pet peeves as well as their,there, they're.
I also cringe when I see "irregardless" (can you say double negative?)
OK - rant over.
I think all of mine have been said now, but the one thing that annoys me to death is the 'you're, your' thing. I know it's been pointed out already, but seriously - it is the BANE of my existance! (Well, maybe not the bane, but...
)
And CP, you are the bomb! I could have never explained that that well. When people add plural to single (see what I mean about not being able to describe it?) it drives me insane!
I really shouldn't be talking since I know I do make mistakes and plenty of them, and I just started really checking my grammar and spelling a few months ago.
Edit: I have an issue with commas too. I say comma when I have to write/type it to make sure I don't forget it. Ex. 'He went to the store,(comma) but he had to go home when he realized he'd forgotten his money.' I say (comma) out loud.
And CP, you are the bomb! I could have never explained that that well. When people add plural to single (see what I mean about not being able to describe it?) it drives me insane!
I really shouldn't be talking since I know I do make mistakes and plenty of them, and I just started really checking my grammar and spelling a few months ago.
Edit: I have an issue with commas too. I say comma when I have to write/type it to make sure I don't forget it. Ex. 'He went to the store,(comma) but he had to go home when he realized he'd forgotten his money.' I say (comma) out loud.
I listen to that kind of thing all day long. The worst is "I wanna get me some of that free Directv." You know that call is a huge waste of time and there go your stats circling the bowl.
Here are a couple of mine...one is so-o-o-o appropriate to this site! People who say, I need to get my cat spayeded.
What is that?
Also the expression "I couldn't care less" has become "I could care less" - and I hear that all the time - especially from TV's "talking heads".
Also the expression "I couldn't care less" has become "I could care less" - and I hear that all the time - especially from TV's "talking heads".
Yes, but as I understand it (as was told to me by a genuine lifelong Texan), in Texas the term "y'all" is singlular. The plural of it is "all y'all".
THANK YOU!! Sometimes I want to send a PM to the person and ask them if I can send them the link to a FABULOUS dictionary site! I also want to ask them if they would mind if I pointed out their obvious mistakes, nicely of course!
YES! Why do people say "I could care less"? That means they do care a little bit, when really they don't care at all..so they actually "couldn't care less"! ARGH!Originally Posted by lnbandcats
Here are a couple of mine...one is so-o-o-o appropriate to this site! People who say, I need to get my cat spayeded.What is that?
Also the expression "I couldn't care less" has become "I could care less" - and I hear that all the time - especially from TV's "talking heads".
Another good one is saying the word especially as "exspecially"...
I know exactly what you mean! I have a real problem with those particular words, but I also have a real peeve with the pronunciation of certain words. Narrators in documentaries drive me insane with their pronunciations - specifically the word "harem"... when will they teach them that it is pronounced "har-eem" and not "hair-em"?! GRRR!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #35
I thought of that one last night, when I was laying in bed thinking about this thread.Originally Posted by Yosemite
I also cringe when I see "irregardless" (can you say double negative?). Hey folks - there is no such word! Check it out in the dictionary!
Speaking of 'laying', that's another confusing word to use: is it laying, or lying?
Another one that bothers me is "supposebly": my s/o says this all the time!
The first time I heard "all ya'll" after moving to Texas, I just cracked up!
~KK~
Well after reading the day's posts I would have to say they aren't paying attention to what has been said in this thread.
Fwan, the truth is that I wouldn't know how to teach grammar if my life depended on it! I never learned all those rules, never paid attention to diagramming sentences and stuff like that... I just learned by reading a lot. So I'm useless as a teacher -- but I'm a whizbang editor!
Cocoalily, thank you, I've never been called "the bomb" before (though I have been told that I rock)!
I'm glad my explanation made sense. (And by the way... I just noticed your age the other day -- you write extremely well for 13!)
Tari, thank you for educating me! So if y'all is singular and all y'all is plural... I guess a real Texan would never use the word you at all, right?
KittKatt, about laying vs. lying: As I understand it, laying is appropriate when you're referring to an action, the act of laying something down. Lying is appropriate when you're referring to the state or condition of lying down. So for example:
"I saw her laying down the litter scoop."
"I saw the litter scoop lying there."
Lying, as in telling an untruth, is just a homonym, not really related to either of those uses.
Confession: I often break grammar rules (even in formal writing) just because I don't like 'em. For example, a lot of people still think you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, as in, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something I won't put up with."
Well, I usually ignore that rule -- because following it often leads to such pretentious constructions. In this case, it would be, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something up with which I will not put."
Hey, anybody have an opinion on split infinitives?
Cocoalily, thank you, I've never been called "the bomb" before (though I have been told that I rock)!
Tari, thank you for educating me! So if y'all is singular and all y'all is plural... I guess a real Texan would never use the word you at all, right?
KittKatt, about laying vs. lying: As I understand it, laying is appropriate when you're referring to an action, the act of laying something down. Lying is appropriate when you're referring to the state or condition of lying down. So for example:
"I saw her laying down the litter scoop."
"I saw the litter scoop lying there."
Lying, as in telling an untruth, is just a homonym, not really related to either of those uses.
Confession: I often break grammar rules (even in formal writing) just because I don't like 'em. For example, a lot of people still think you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, as in, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something I won't put up with."
Well, I usually ignore that rule -- because following it often leads to such pretentious constructions. In this case, it would be, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something up with which I will not put."
Hey, anybody have an opinion on split infinitives?
I think this rule is becoming obsolete. It sounds too awkward now,Originally Posted by CarolPetunia
Confession: I often break grammar rules (even in formal writing) just because I don't like 'em. For example, a lot of people still think you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, as in, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something I won't put up with."
Well, I usually ignore that rule -- because following it often leads to such pretentious constructions. In this case, it would be, "He pulled my cat's tail, and that's something up with which I will not put."
I use to hear the double negative all the time in metro Detroit and I never got use to it.
Also when people use the term "it" instead of the actual noun. For some reason when people start saying "Do you know what it is?" and points in a general direction, I have a hard time comprehending what it they're identifying.
