The Grammar Police Thread

[jaysonsmom]

I think the title of this thread is self-explanatory. What are some of the bad grammar or spelling mistakes that irk you? Let it all out here!

 

[redwood66]

Then instead of than. It drives me nuts and it's prevalent, even in journalists.

Your and you're too.

Maybe I'm picking too many nits.

 

[redwood66]

@jaysonsmom do you have any?

 

[jaysonsmom]

I “brung” the cookies to her birthday.

Don’t understand how she “drug” herself home after drunken night!

 

[GCGDanielle]

Apostrophes. Christmas cards signed “The Wilson’s” Worse, my child’s third grade teacher sends newsletters home that begin with “Hello Wildcat’s!”

 

[jaysonsmom]

My boss, who is European, always says:
Everybody ARE going to like our new product!
Instead of Everybody’s going to like our new product.....
But she speaks 4 languages! I can’t pick on someone who speaks more languages than I do right?

 

[TooPatient]

Me and John are gonna do this.
John and me did that.
She done this and that.
Me and my friends are going there.
I and my friends are going there.

 

[JPie]

should of & could of

 

[Dancing Fire]

I better get an English major before I post on PS.

 

[Austina]

Don’t got - how does that even make sense?

 

[Karl_K]

Don’t got - how does that even make sense?

Don't got no idea.
Double negatives bug me or is it bug I?
Yikes, My brain just isn't wired right for this stuff, I better run away and hide!.

 

[Snowdrop13]

“I was sat”....seems to be in common use now

Also, my kids tell all their stories in the present tense, rather than the past, apparently their English teachers tell them this lends more immediacy and interest. It’s horrible!

 

[Ally T]

Misuse of apostrophes.
Double negatives.
All general slang.

I always pull my children up if they speak incorrectly, explaining that how will they learn to spell properly if they don’t speak properly. I’m not like a school mistress with a big stick, but just gently nudge them.

 

[missy]

I just wanted to preface this with the fact that I do not have perfect grammar. Not even close. In the spirit of this thread however I am sharing what bugs me.

-I vs Me
-Using the word gift as a verb
-Ending a sentence with the word "at" as in "where are you at"?
-Your vs You're
-Then vs Than
-Their vs There
-Our vs Are
-It's vs Its
-imprecise/vague pronoun usage leading to confusion
-Excepted vs Accepted
-Breathe vs Breath

Adding the fact that I never correct anyone because it's none of my business and much of what annoys me is used often now and in fact may be acceptable. Thanks to the urban dictionary etc.

 

[Slickk]

To, too, and two
They’re, their and they’re
Could of/would of instead of could have/would have
Than, then
Except, accept
Effect, affect

But I am a teacher so I see it all!

 

[the_mother_thing]

“I could care less ...”. It’s “couldn’t care less”.

Another one I often see one in jewelry postings (because I don’t read a lot of other ‘for sale’ listings) is someone who “sales” something. One sells something, or something is for sale.

 

[missy]

“I could care less ...”. It’s “couldn’t care less”.

I cannot believe I forgot "could care less" vs. "couldn't care less". This drives me batty.

 

[Gussie]

Between you (he, she, etc.) and I

Drives me CRAZY. In fact, the incorrect use of objective/subjective pronouns is the worst to me.

 

[Matthews1127]

“Could/Should have went”, instead of “Could/Should have GONE.”
Plus all of the above.
I’m not a teacher, and I’m not perfect. I was tortured with grammar, spelling, and penmanship, while in Elementary & Middle School.
Curriculum, and priorities within such curriculum seem to be more lax, or lenient pertaining to these subjects, now.
It makes me cringe because it’s become more prevalent.
Like others have mentioned, I nudge my children, and try to drill the importance of grammar, spelling, and etiquette into their heads.

 

[CJMT2018]

Yes! A majority of the responses have already captured the mistakes my eyes are automatically drawn to, but it always gives me pause when the issue goes past grammar and moves into improper sentence construct altogether.

I also find it odd when somone attempts to prove intelligence through writing and gets it so, so wrong. I see it all over Facebook, and 100% of the time includes improper use of the semi-colon.

Lastly, my generation has started putting a space between the period and end of the sentence . Like this . I don’t get it . Social medial and the casual and always connected nature of communication in this day and age has really been a factor in declining importance of proper grammar and proper English writing in general.

 

[Gussie]

Phones, in general, have seriously led to the demise of grammar. Plus, they hardly teach it in school anymore. My kids haven't heard of a sentence diagram!

I triple checked my grammar here. Hope it's all right!

 

[Matthews1127]

Phones, in general, have seriously led to the demise of grammar. Plus, they hardly teach it in school anymore. My kids haven't heard of a sentence diagram!

I triple checked my grammar here. Hope it's all right!

 

[Austina]

A lot of adverts here are now saying “better than half price”, ugh, we say less than half price.

 

[jaysonsmom]

How can I forget the the biggest offense on a jewelry forum....the use of karat to state diamond weight!

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

I agree with EVERYTHING written above!!! How about the use of "irregardless"?

One of the worst things I hear ALL the time is the word "like" interspersed in a sentence multiple times, I even hear it on the news. It makes my brain hurt.

I know a lot of people think you shouldn't correct others, and I usually don't unless I like them. If they are mispronouncing a word, I will usually provide the correct pronunciation so no one thinks they are dumb in the future. I see it as a favor, like alerting someone they have something in their teeth, one of their eyebrows has been wiped off or their skirt is caught in their pantyhose. If I don't like someone, I don't say a word.

I think the problem with mispronunciations relates to the fact that many times we read a word but never hear it spoken by someone else, so we create our own pronunciation. I like to be corrected so I appear stupid less often. I'll never forget an attorney I worked with that came from a top tier law school. He was very uppity and condescending even though he couldn't work the simplest of office machinery. Part of my job was to edit and correct all the legal documents produced. He meant to write "for all intents and purposes", but because he had never read the phrase, only heard it said, he wrote "for all intensive purposes". My boss and I had a BLAST with that one and got a lot of mileage out of it whenever he got out of hand....

 

[marymm]

"your welcome"

misuse of possessive -s (versus plural)

Typos in published books

 

[Slickk]

To, too, and two
They’re, their and they’re
Could of/would of instead of could have/would have
Than, then
Except, accept
Effect, affect

But I am a teacher so I see it all!

Haha. Came back and realized I made a typo Darn autocorrect!

*They’re, their and there*

 

[Karl_K]

“I could care less ...If I cared at all”. It’s “couldn’t care less”.

Most people just leave the last part off.

 

[Dee*Jay]

This thread warms my heart! Bling and good grammar - love you PSers!

 

[Bonfire]

Their, they’re
To, too
Do, due
I think these were already mentioned
Some common phrases that drive me nuts,
“Where are you at?”
“Way more”