This tote made me laugh. Don't you agree?!Here are a few things I've learned over the years:
* Farther vs. further. Farther = physical distance. Further = abstract lengths. ("We need to drive farther down the road." "Let’s discuss this further tonight.")
* Everyday vs. every day. "I go to the park every day." "These shoes are great for everyday wear."
* Literally. Most things aren't actually literally true. "I was literally dying with laughter." Probably not.
What are your grammar pet peeves? Tell us below! Let's get sexy.
P.S. Quotation marks.
P.P.S. If you want to nerd out, here are 20 common grammar mistakes.
(Via BBlinks)
SupposeBly....with a B. Or sometimes they say it with a V.
ReplyDeleteAnd mouth breathers - although this isn't a grammar faux pas, if you don't have a cold or you're not running a race, breathe through your nose people!!
There, their, they're. Your, you're. Two, too, to. Such simple differences, yet constantly done wrong.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely can't stand it when people use YOUR instead of YOU'RE or THERE instead of THEY'RE or THEIR. Drives me nuts! Come on people, we learned this all in elementary school. Feels good to vent... :)
ReplyDeleteChristina
your and you're. when someone writes "your welcome" it makes me cringe every time!
ReplyDeleteHere here, CFunk!
ReplyDeleteWhy can't people spell definitely?
ReplyDeleteCute t-shirt...I think one day I want to make my own t-shirts and sell them on my blog...great post! RoRos World
ReplyDeleteOh, yes. Homophones drive me nuts too. The other ones that get me are lightening vs. lightning and dying vs. dyeing. If you are "dying" your hair, bad things are happening, people.
ReplyDeleteThat and the way people don't use apostrophes properly.
Then vs. Than....omg gets me every time. Also, the Your vs. You're thing, and of course, They're, Their and There. Smh.
ReplyDeleteI had this picture on my Facebook for a while...some of my guy friends definitely got the hint pretty quickly (:
http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/a469b5e12601b97b549225a77e7f67bd
As well as another that said, "You had me at your proper use of "you're".
Too funny. And yes, all of it matters in a big way! It's easy to make little mistakes here and there but it's always worth it to slow down and double check your writing so you don't embarass yourself!
P.S. Joanna, I know you majored in English, did you ever study any foreign languages?
My biggest pet peeve is very unique. My college grammar professor hated that one ... and passed it onto me, I guess! Since unique means one-of-a-kind, you can't be very one-of-a-kind, right? I also really hate quotation marks when it's not a quote. I notice that the vet does that. My dog is Lucy -- not "Lucy." :)
ReplyDeleteIn the dog world, quotation marks are used to signify a call name as opposed to a registered name. So your dog could be named Briarwood's Always on Time with a call name of "Timer".
DeleteEnding a sentence w/ a preposition (I know, how English-teacher am I?)--although I'm not perfect, so I hesitate pointing out my peeves in others!
ReplyDeleteOoooh correct usage of "me" vs. "I," "less" vs. "fewer" and mispronouncing "mischeivous!"
ReplyDeleteYou had me at your proper use of "you're"
ReplyDeletehttp://pinterest.com/pin/141441244517124407/
Misuse of apostrophes drives me crazy! Not every word that ends in "s" needs an apostrophe. Also, "I's" is not a word!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't like when people mistake "their" and "there". However, I still do not know how to use "effect" and "affect."
ReplyDeleteBut I agree 100% that good grammar is sexy. Its essential!
I don't understand why everyone is so afraid of the word "me" that they substitute “myself.” Please contact myself. Really?
ReplyDeleteAlso, to copy Leica, “I’s” is never a word. Ever.
I'm a big hater of the two spaces after a period.
ReplyDeleteIt may sound ridiculous, but oh yes, good grammar really is sexy. My brother and I take turns correcting my sister because it bothers the both of us so much. ;)
ReplyDeleteRAS Syndome. Repeated Acronym Syndrome Syndrome! Every time someone says ATM Machine I want to claw their eyes out. The M is machine! You don't say it twice!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI whole-heartedly agree with all of these.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to submit, for the panel's consideration:
LIE/LAY
I lie (down). Chickens lay (eggs). You LAY *something* down. It requires an *object*.
Ditto for SAT/SET. You don't set down. You might set an object down. You sit down. Last night you sat down.
Exhibit 2 is improper or imaginary past-tense words/grammar agreement.
"We had went to the store."
(We had gone to the store.)
"I seen him."
(I saw him.)
"I had drank the whole glass by then."
Or you had drunk it.
Finally, my least favorite word in the English Language:
Irregardless.
:cringe:
My biggest pet peeve is when people caption their photos with "Mike and I at the beach." You'd never say, "I at the beach," you'd say "me, at the beach."
ReplyDeleteThe reason is because "I" is a subject and "me" is an object. A photo caption is really an abbreviated sentence: [this is a picture of] me at the beach. In that sentence "this" is the subject, and "me" is the object.
Misuse of "literally" is my pet peeve! "You're literally SO sweet." Really? Do I actually taste sweet!?
ReplyDeleteConversate.
Misuse of apostrophes.
Overuse of "awesome."
Hmm, i would add that bad grammar is such a huge turn off! I'm still laughing at the ATM remark from Alina! LOL...xoxo
ReplyDeleteMy grammar isn't perfect, but apostrophe abuse gets me every time. Christmas card season is the worst!
ReplyDelete"Love,
The Smith's"
Today, Google asked me if I meant "alot" instead of "a lot". That was pretty horrifying.
Yes, so many people misuse everyday when they really mean every day. Oh, and compliment vs. complement. Plus, the overuse of quotation marks is rampant. It especially bothers me when professional writers (who really should know better) make these mistakes. By the way, I'm an English teacher. That said, I'm not particularly hard on my students because most of them come from poverty and don't speak standard English at home. Luckily, my scientist husband has great grammar skills.
ReplyDeleteThis post reminds me of this comic by The Oatmeal: http://theoatmeal.com/pl/senior_year/english
ReplyDelete"If you put an A in definitely, then you're definitely an A-hole."
Ha! I love it!
"definately" is not a word. Ever.
ReplyDeleteLoose vs lose. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen this used wrong. You don't "loose" a cat, you "lose" it.
ReplyDeleteThe you're/your mistake drives me nuts.
ReplyDeleteMy current pet peeve is people dropping the -ly off of adverbs.
My all-time biggest pet peeve is when someone says, "I could care less" when they are trying to say they don't care about something. "I could care less" means that you care something about it, and it is actually possible to care less about it than you already do. "I couldn't care less" means I care 0 about this, and I couldn't possibly care any less than 0.
I hate it when people use "So-and-so and I" when it should be "So-and-so and me" or vice versa. It's a tricky one for some people! :)
ReplyDeleteCharity @ http://atallshipandastar.blogspot.com
When people say "I" in place of "me."
ReplyDeleteI think the parental teaching of correct grammar made them think saying "I" is always proper. (WRONG!)
Love the shirts!
'Gift' is not a verb!! As in, "I was gifted this shirt". GIVEN. GAVE.
ReplyDelete(I've always been a gifted student...)
Couldn't agree more with the t shirts! My pet peeve is the classic your/you're and their/there/they're difference, it irks me every time I see it on Facebook.
ReplyDeleteThe apostrophe in a plural word figuratively kill me "these are my Christmas card's" or "response's are due by COB Tuesday". OH GOD NO.
ReplyDeleteThey may continue to affect my stress level, which would raise my blood pressure and cause all sorts of health concerns that may, in the long run, literally kill me. Literally.
Haha mine is very silly, but here it is:
ReplyDelete"quote" and "quotation" aren't the same thing!
you quote someone, as in: "groucho marx is quoted as saying 'I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it.'"
but the phrase itself is a quotation, as in: "my favourite quotation is something said by groucho marx"
not
"oh, that's my favourite quote!" NOT A THING
"Today, Google asked me if I meant 'alot' instead of 'a lot'. That was pretty horrifying."
ReplyDeleteO_o
Re: Awesome: I have older friends who hate the use of the word awesome to mean anything other than "inspiring awe" (versus merely "cool"). But I don't mind it.
A lot of people spell "probably" like this: prolly. Horrible!
ReplyDeleteOh, don't get me started. I come from a long line of sticklers and grammar nerds. I'm an editor. More than anything I hate being forced to dumb down grammar to match common use, which I have to do a lot in my line of work.
ReplyDeleteI was once involved in a 2+ hour dinner conversation about the misuse of very unique versus unique. I will NEVER misuse unique again!
ReplyDeletehaha thank you for introducing me to the etsy shop. My friend is a grammar Nazi so I have to get her one! Thanks! :)
ReplyDeleteGood vs. well.
ReplyDeleteYou do something well, not good.
I guess this makes me a nerd because I really enjoy reading down the comment list for all the great grammar reminders.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't call this a peeve, but I do notice that people generally lean on using "I" when they should be using "me" (e.g., "He gave my boyfriend and me a ride home").
On a related note, has anyone noticed "I's" being used to express joint possession (e.g., "Today is my husband and I's anniversary" or "Paul and I’s love of _Die Hard_ is one of the pillars of our friendship")? I started noticing that word a few years ago, but it just doesn't seem right to me.
I hate that I do this but I break up 'another' with 'whole' in between. Like 'that is a whole nother idea'. It's a hard one to break.
ReplyDeleteI have this tshirt, which gets lots of giggles (by grammar fanatics of course)
http://www.onehorseshy.com/bad-grammar-makes-me-sic/
Three pet peeves:
ReplyDeleteAnother version of good vs. well. On being asked how you are, the response should be well not good.
Anxious vs. eager. I'm anxiously awaiting the concert. (Really, are you stressed about it?) It should be I'm eagerly awaiting the concert. Unless you are. Anxious that is. In which case, I stand corrected.
This one makes me nuts. Regime vs. regimen - people say "beauty regime" or "exercise regime" all the time. It should be regimen. A regimen is a regulated course or manner of living. A regime is a mode or rule of government or the period during which a particular government/ruling system is in power.
As an English major and copywriter, I have almost too many grammar pet peeves to speak of. However, it's and its has to be one of my biggest annoyances - along with their, they're and there and putting periods OUTSIDE of quotation marks (i.e. "hey". instead of "hey.").
ReplyDeleteI completely agree - good grammar is sexy. :)
xo,
Morgan
seemomogo.blogspot.com
It drives me crazy when people say "accrossed." ("That shop is accrossed the street.")
ReplyDeleteMy list of particular peeves is way too long to get going here.
ReplyDeleteOne broader complaint I have is when my favorite bloggers, who are also published authors, publish blog posts with typos. Please, re-read it and then send it to a friend so s/he can, too.
Okay, I can't resist, @Liz, that photo caption me/I business seriously gets to mee too.
omg these are making me laugh out loud. "mouth breathers" -- haha. and flo, i totally didn't know how to spell lightning, thank you!! :)
ReplyDeleteomg these are making me laugh out loud. "mouth breathers" -- haha. and flo, i totally didn't know how to spell lightning, thank you!! :)
ReplyDeleteLESS vs. FEWER. hands down. EVERYONE gets this one wrong :( c'mon people!!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised nobody mentioned the Bachelor, Bachelorette,or Bachelor Pad. Nothing makes me cringe more than listening to those people try to describe their relationships. "Brad and I's relationship..."
ReplyDeleteI am a copy editor; of course I agree, haha! Hook me up, I need that shirt.
ReplyDeleteThis is fabulous! I love the farther/further description - that's been on my mind lately!
ReplyDeleteMy nerd friends and I once geeked out and started making a list of words that people, smart people even, seem to CONSISTENTLY mispronounce. SupposeDly, not supposeBly. ESpresso, not eXpresso. In a similar vein there is eSpecially, not eXpecially. LibRary, not libary. Also, people... "irregardless" is NOT the right word. It's not a word, I don't think. You mean "regardless." End of story. I know that's not grammar, per se, but it's so unsexy when it goes wrong. In terms of grammar, I hate it when people write in passive voice.
ReplyDeleteI've meet the awesome lady that makes these! She's super talented and sweet :)
ReplyDeleteMy biggest one of late is the use of 'myself'. As in someone saying, 'all forms should be returned to either Judy or myself'. It's 'returned to me'!!!! Watch, people use that word wrong all the time and don't even realize!
ReplyDeleteAgree with all of these and would like to add:
ReplyDeletePurposefully vs. Purposely
and my #1, Invite is not a noun!!! You don't get an invite, you get an INVITATION. I know I'm fighting a losing battle on that one but it drives me bonkers.
Going to have to purchase one of these...
ReplyDeletePet peeve - it's vs. its!
I'm a fan of the oxford comma when writing a list.
ReplyDeleteI have many.
ReplyDeleteSome that have really been bugging me lately are ensure vs. insure. There are all these official signs around the estuary near our house saying it is closed to hiking to "insure the safety of the wildlife". Really? Who did they take that insurance out with?
Its vs. it's
Proper use of hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes.
Proper use of colons and semi-colons.
That many of the correct past tenses of irregular verbs are slowly being lost with the incorrect use (adding on -ed) becoming common.
In response to an earlier comment, the comma outside or inside the quotation marks depends on American or British English. So some people may have just learnt in a different system to you.
First off, you guys are so my people.
ReplyDeleteI agree about being particularly horrified when professional writers repeat the same grammar mistakes. Sure, there is poetic leeway with which one can play with language as a writer, but you have to first earn the trust of your audience that you understand the rules that you're purportedly tweaking!
My pet peeves have all been mentioned already, but I'll cast another vote towards the affect/effect and fewer/less mixups. Both of these are ones that I've discussed with my husband, who had misused them in the past. Now he's the one who educates others on those two -- not sure if that's very appreciated by our friends though, who now get it from both of us!
I hate the overuse of "do," which for some reason has become part of the script for most flight attendants. "We DO ask that you DO turn off electronic devices." Bleh!
ReplyDeleteMy peeve is also to do with unique. It is unique, or it's not. 'Unique' not a modifiable adjective. It's not "very unique" or "quite unique". Ever.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest grammar pet peeve (and general pet peeve) is when people say "Me either" instead of "Me neither". Also, the use of "irregardless" instead of "regardless".
ReplyDeleteLove this "nerdy" post and etsy stuff! Caroline
ReplyDeleteOh, and has anyone else noticed that lots of people use whenever instead of when? As in, "Whenever I was at the coffee shop yesterday, they got my order wrong." I find that one so strange, especially because I usually hear well-educated people do it.
ReplyDeletelove this post...and conversation!
ReplyDeleteI can't handle the misuse of its/it's. If you can't say "it is," don't use "it's"!!! It's one of the most simple grammar rules to understand, yet I see this mistake made ALL THE TIME. In fact, there are a few sites that despite how much I love the content, I can't read them regularly because they always make this mistake, and it drives me nuts. One of them has actually written a grammar guide for bloggers in the past, which makes it even worse!
ReplyDeleteI can't handle the misuse of its/it's. If you can't say "it is," don't use "it's"!!! It's one of the most simple grammar rules to understand, yet I see this mistake made ALL THE TIME. In fact, there are a few sites that despite how much I love the content, I can't read them regularly because they always make this mistake, and it drives me nuts. One of them has actually written a grammar guide for bloggers in the past, which makes it even worse!
ReplyDeleteI am going to print out all these comments and give myself a little masterclass tune-up! or should that be tune up? I thought I was decent, but it would seem I have some way to go!
ReplyDeleteCarrie
P.S. just thought of another one - TOWARDS is not a word. It is toward. That is all.
ReplyDeletexo
Morgan
seemomogo.blogspot.com
The one I always notice is "the reason is because," as in "the reason I went to the store is because I ran out of milk." The reason is never because! "The reason is THAT I ran out of milk."
ReplyDeleteIt drives me crazy when people put apostrophes in wrong/weird places. I recently saw a sign on the way to a beach that said "Hot Crab Legs's."
ReplyDeleteErrors like that leave me speechless!
Stationery = letters, envelopes, notebooks, cards etc.
ReplyDeleteStationary = a car not moving
I see this wrong on website categories/websites and even by people who sell stationery!
http://iheartnancyandbetty.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/stationerystationary.html
OH there are SO many. But the one that's like fingernails grating on a chalkboard is "irregardless." I actually had a principal who said that over and over in our staff meetings!!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen people write "would of" or "could of" when they should write "would've" or "could've".
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of an internet post I read a few years ago about the frequent misuse of "alot" (as opposed to a lot).
ReplyDeleteSee below--complete with hilarious illustrations.
http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
It will probably be a rule that changes because so many people get it wrong: "If I was" vs "if I were. It's the conditional!
ReplyDeleteI have a list, oh yes, I do......These are all spell-checker immune.
ReplyDeleteAnd, in the sadness, we morn
eye site
suppose to live
suppose to be
Lye chair down on it's back
The roll of each ingredient in the recipe
cabbage and barely soup
a slightly horse voice
sponsors play such a big roll in making..
I payed even half of that
You're, you are, there, their...just to name a few that drive me crazy!
ReplyDeleteLove the shirts!
ok, correct me if I'm wrong on this one, but my instincts tell me I'm not...
ReplyDeleteUsing "would have" without it being a conditional. Example: "I wish I would have studied more for that test." There needs to be an "if" in there somewhere, right? "I wish I had studied more for that test; if I had, I would have passed."
Right? (http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/ifiwouldhave.html)
I find myself noticing it more and more, from people who I think should know better (which is why I am second-guessing myself). It just sounds wrong though.
The one I have been noticing lately is anyway vs anyways... The latter not even being a real word! Anyway,blove the shirt! And the post :)
ReplyDelete*love
ReplyDeleteI've loved reading these! The ones I notice are practise/practise and it's/its, but the thing I hate more than anything is when people confuse learn and teach! I can't believe how many times I hear it! The phrase "I'll learn you it" is like nails on a chalk board to me. The same goes for borrow/lend. X
ReplyDeletei get annoyed when people use "effect" instead of "affect"...or "it went good" instead of "it went well"...AHHH
ReplyDelete-ale
Cute tees! This isn't a grammar mistake but I can't stand it when people write toodles! What? Are we in 5th grade! Sorry! Pet peeve!
ReplyDeleteOh my Gosh! Thank you! I love the etsy shop and I love your grammar hints. Wonderful! Drives me crazy when people say literally when it can never be.
ReplyDeleteWhen someone ends a sentence with "at " I want to SCREAM.
ReplyDeleteI once worked at a company where they had a large number of bumper stickers printed up that said 'Drive Safe'. I was just a junior and had to tell them it was wrong, which they really did not like!
ReplyDeleteI have a personal dislike of how often blog writers use the term 'smitten'. I am smitten with this and I am smitten with that. I just dont like the word. Especially if they use it more than once in the same post!
Its vs. it's. IT'S frightening how many folks confuse ITS usage. :)
ReplyDeleteNot sure if anyone already posted this, but writing "your" when one should write "you're" really gets me. It's really NOT a confusing distinction, people! :-)
ReplyDeleteVolume vs. quantity descriptions. Less vs. fewer, etc.
ReplyDeleteaffect/effect
ReplyDelete...and Joanna, I had to share this one that I saw the other day ... from the context it seems they believed this to be the correct word:
"comatoast"
funniest one I have seen in a long time!
It drives me nuts that people always seem to mispell lose. As in "I don't like to lose at cards." They always spell it loose.
ReplyDeleteI can't stand the "mute" point.
ReplyDeleteAlot. You don't write alittle, so why do people spell a lot wrong? Drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteI work with lots of maps, and people say "orientate" instead of "orient". Orientate isn't a word at all!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely hate it's and its, they're and their and then and than. I mean..is it really so hard?
ReplyDeleteWhen people say "and I's." when trying to express mutual possession of something.
ReplyDeleteSomehow there are ALWAYS people on The Bachelor/ette every season who fall into this grammatical trap. What they want to say is simply "our," or "Emily's and my relationship" (for example), but instead it's "Emily and I's relationship."
On what planet is that expression correct?! Drives me crazy. Sounds so unintelligent!
I teach middle school language arts.... what isn't a grammar pet peeve of mine?!
ReplyDeleteOh, I think I can't be sexy in English... :/
ReplyDeleteBut, I can be really sexy in my mother tongue. ;) Haha
Great post! The link of Top 20 mistakes is super helpful, I'm sending to my students. :)
ReplyDeleteFor those who want to nerd out EVEN MORE, with pages of explanations and etymology, I heart Grammar Girl:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/semicolons.aspx
This comic made me laugh too: http://thegrammarnazi.tumblr.com/post/2504254185/stop-clubbing-baby-seals-stop-clubbing-baby
Kram from Sweden,
Kim
Possessive with "ing"
ReplyDelete"MY commenting on this post makes me a grammar nerd"
My mother had a nun drill that into her head back in the 50s when the nuns were still teaching (and instilled fear); and thus it was drilled into mine :)
GOOD V. WELL! Come on people!
ReplyDeleteI feel like this thread needs a linguist's perspective... so here goes!
ReplyDeletePrescriptive rules=arbitrary rules enforced by grammarians. These are the sorts of rules we all learned in grammar class in school. Things like 'don't end a sentence with a preposition,' 'don't split your infinitives,' and 'don't use ain't.'
But think about these two sentences: 1) "Where did that new vase come from?" and, 2) "From where did that new vase come." Which one would you imagine yourself *actually* saying? I'm pretty sure you would all say sentence #1 if you walked into your friend's apartment and saw a new vase on her mantle.
What about "ain't." Chances are most of you don't like it because you associate it (consciously or not) with a lower socio-economic class. But these non-standard dialects can express all the same concepts as "Standard American English (SAE)." There's absolutely nothing superior about SAE; it just happens that the people who wrote your grammar were speakers of SAE. (Dr. Lisa Green has written a lot about really interesting properties of a non-standard dialect: African American English.)
You've probably all heard how learning different languages makes you smarter and helps you see the world from a more diverse, balanced perspective. Well, the same is true of dialects---British English, Appalachian English, African American English, etc.
The great thing about languages is that they change. That's how different languages are born. When English and German were more closely related hundreds of years ago, English speakers still had a distinction between "lay" and "lie". German speakers still do in the present day: "liegen" and "legen" (also "stehen/stellen" and others). Now most speakers of English use "lay" and "lie" interchangeably, and that's OK! That's just one of the many ways English is changing. Language change is responsible for the world's linguistic diversity.
So the next time you hear something that sounds weird or annoying to you, perhaps you can think about it differently. Think of yourself as witnessing a moment in your language's history. You may be one step closer to understanding how your language will be spoken in 100 years.
osmiroid at gmail
The difference between you're and your is my biggest grammar pet peeve. Second to that is there, their, and they're.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I have good grammar, but I JUST learned (or relearned) the difference between then/than.
ReplyDeleteNow I obsessively check it before I post ;-)
When people use "There's" to describe a plural, as in "there's grapes over here."
ReplyDeleteI
AHHHHHH!!! ....wait....AHHHH!!! ok. got that out of my system. I'm a writer by profession and my attention to grammar is kind of an illness. (Obviously except during rambling blog comments.) But really...going to pin everything in that shop.
ReplyDeleteHaha I actually have so many! A lot of them are ones people above have posted, but two that stick out at the moment are ending a sentence with the word "at" and spelling "bawl/bawling" as "balling"! I don't mind when people end sentences in prepositions if it makes sense, i.e. "Where are you from?" but when people say "Where are we at?" etc. it makes me want to rip out my hair! Just say "Where are we?"!
ReplyDeleteI hear "reoccuring" where "recurring" should be used in my office ALL the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "good" versus "well."
"It didn't work out so good." "I'm doing good!" "You did really good on that report."
No. Superman does good, everything else is "WELL."
Oh, I just thought of another one. The word "data" is a plural noun, although people CONSTANTLY use it as a singular noun. For example, "The data is clear. Going to bed at the same time every night makes you smarter." It should be, "The data ARE clear..." Data is a plural noun. I think maybe people don't really understand that.
ReplyDelete"I borrowed it to her"
ReplyDeleteSeriously?
You LENT it to her!
that is awesome! Love it! :)
ReplyDeletewww.FaShionRoLLa.com
AHHH! THANK. YOU.
ReplyDeletePoor grammar in general drives me nuts, but I especially hate your/you're and their/there/they're. It's not that hard people!
Ahhh, being a writer and all, I love this topic. The everyday vs. every day one always bugs me!
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's not technically grammar, but I have to bite my tongue whenever I hear someone say, "I'm finding out the gender of my baby today." NO!!!!!
I don't know if anyone said this already but I cannot stand it when people say 'real' when they mean 'really'. And it happens all the time these days, from people who should know better, like news anchors. I see real as an adjective and really as an adverb. When someone says something is "real good" I always think "Oh, as opposed to fake good". Apparently real can be used as an adverb in a very informal way but I feel like that is just because people have been using it wrong for so long!
ReplyDeleteHe was talking to you and I. Hate that! Prepositions such as 'to' or 'with' take the objective case: to or with you or me. xo
ReplyDeleteUm, I want one of those. Now. It's an English major's dream!
ReplyDeletehttp://lifeatruestory4.blogspot.com/
Could care less instead of couldn't care less. So many people say could care less, which to me would imply that they do care and therefore could care less then they currently do.
ReplyDeleteWhile many of my long-standing and, sadly, ubiquitous grammar pet peeves have already been pointed out, I really get aggravated with misuse of i.e. and e.g. It literally (yes, literally) took me one review of the explanation of the difference between the two to get it and never forget.
ReplyDeleteI.E. = Id est, aka "That is"
E.G. = Exempli gratia, aka "For example"
Use i.e. for a single different way of explaining your previous statement. Use e.g. to make a list of one or more things that are examples of your previous statement!
"I'm explaining my biggest grammar pet peeve, i.e., misuse of common Latin abbreviations"
"I've got a ton of grammar pet peeves, e.g., misuse of Latin abbreviations, misuse of homophones, etc."
Here's an example that I find funny.
ReplyDeleteLet's eat grandpa.
Let's eat, grandpa.
Punctuation. It saves lives.
hee hee hee, that's very cute!
ReplyDeletenot sure if anyone has mentioned this but it bugs me when people pronounce height and say "heighth". there's no "h" on the end of height, so why say it like that? bizarre!
ReplyDeleteHah! Saw these guys at a craft fair here in San Francisco on Sunday. That t-shirt cracked me up too. :) I HATE IT when people confuse conjunctions. "They're" IS NOT the same as "there"!!
ReplyDeleteI did not know the further vs farther nor the everday vs every day. Now I feel smarter! But I do agree, good grammar is very sexy.
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend has the worst grammar! I told him that I didn't like to text, but really it was just that I couldn't stand any more of his mix-ups with their/they're/there, your/you're, to/too, and on... Borderline deal breaker for me!
ReplyDeletewhen I started dating my bf he always complained about people using the word "hysterical" when they really meant "hilarious." As in, "that comedian was hysterical!" In truth, the comedian was hilarious and he made you hysterical with laughter. Now it bugs me too every time I hear someone misuse the word!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's pet peeve is farther/further, so I've learned to use it correctly. Mine is when people say "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes." We do think good grammar is sexy! :)
ReplyDeletewhen people say "EXpecially" UGH
ReplyDelete"Jo and I's house".
ReplyDeleteI'm not even gonna read the above comments because if somebody dogs us exclamation point uses I will not be able to take it!!!!!!!! ^_^ It's who I am....happy. Get over it!!!
ReplyDeleteLove! One of my favorite grammar pet peeves is: "How are you doing?" Response: "I'm doing good." Good vs well! Argh!
ReplyDeleteI try to be understanding, so I don't outright correct people. If I have the opportunity to use the same language in the conversation, I try to use it correctly. That gives them a chance to realize their/correct their mistake without feeling embarrassed.
"Yous" drives me crazy. "Are yous going to the game tonight?" I want to say, "no, wes are staying home" or "no, ewes aren't allowed into sporting events, but people will be there."
ReplyDeleteStationary - not moving
ReplyDeleteStationery - writing paper
I'm a graphic designer, and my clients make this mistake all of the time!
Why can't I think of them when I am put on the spot?
ReplyDeleteToo funny any how!
www.louiseandcostyle.blogspot.com
coming from canada, there are SO many different spellings of words, but it's really the difference in verb conjugations that gets me riled up. the two worst are below:
ReplyDeletedrug vs. dragged (ew. just...ew.)
dove vs. dived (makes me correct people i've never even met, out loud, whenever i hear it spoken)
also, hearing 'etcetera' pronounced 'ex-cetera' makes me cringe.
and there's always good old 'its' vs. 'it's' - apostrophes are almost always improperly done and it drives me crazy when i see them in print (especially on billboards, ugh).
sadly, my grammar and spelling have gone downhill since i was in university (though i've finally figured out how to spell definitely!). and i tend to type in all lower-case, too, which i crosses a very basic good-grammer barrier.
Don't know why this one's driving me coconuts lately, but it is.
ReplyDelete---> 70s, not & never 70's (Editors will want you to include the initial apostrophe, tho. Like this: '70s.)
---> As a collection of years, 70s is the plural form. You know this: decades, ferns, bars.
---> 70s' is the plural possessive.
---> Example: In the 60s, a fern's respectability was unimpeachable, but 70s' fern bars made the plant seem cheap and suspect for the next forty years.
(I dig you guys.)
People ending sentences in prepositions drives me CRAZY! For example, 'Where is it at?' Correction: 'Where is it?'
ReplyDeletewhile working I hear "Deb, where are you at" all day long on my head set. I want to scream DROP THE AT!
DeleteNice T shirt chose a great color and that letters are great...Thanks
ReplyDeleteI loves this T shirt...
Canon Ink
Can I just say I love this post!!! Good grammar is sexy!
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how we were not aware of how bad many people's grammar is until the advent of facebook and twitter.
ReplyDeleteI haaaaate when "media" (= plural of medium) and "data" (=plural of datum) are used in the singular, e.g. "The news media is biased" or "This data is wrong." Arugh!
I had to explain "maybe" and "may be" to a student the other day! I love good grammar! Especially "their, they're and there".
ReplyDeleteThe 'Good Grammar is Sexy' tee made me chuckle!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit of a grammar-nazi myself, if there's an advert in a magazine, or posters on the walls at work, better believe I'm there with my trusty biro!
It just makes good sense!
WANT. These shirts are literally the cutest ;)
ReplyDelete(but really they are.)
I may purchase that shirt!
ReplyDeleteIt drives me crazy when people use "I" instead of "me" - they think "I" is correct in all situations. It is not. I see this on television and in print WAY too often.
But, to comment on a comment - 2 spaces after a period is correct.
Great article on the use of the word literally from The Guardian (UK newspaper):
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/12/reality-check-literally-wrong-use-word
Some of the examples of the use of the word the media had me dying when I read it at work ('With the price of feed being what it is today, the cows are literally milking him.')
Interesting literary examples of 'wrong use' though - Dickens and Bronte so you're in good company...
Misuse of apostrophes, no doubt about it!! Here's an example, from a sign at my commissary (military grocery store): Bagger's work for tip's only.
ReplyDeleteAHHHHHH. It makes me crazy every time I see it.
After that, the whole your, you're and they're, their and there.
Who's when it should be whose.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I'm not sure I'm sexy in English, but I am VERY sexy in my native language:-)
The oxford comma. Here's one of my favorite examples.
ReplyDeleteWith the oxford comma:
We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin.
Without the oxford comma:
We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin.
Here's an illustration:http://thegloss.com/beauty/why-the-oxford-comma-is-something-you-should-care-about-392/.
My pet peeves are the overuse of the words effortlessly, genius, and literally.
Haha, totally!!!
ReplyDeleteI love this post!!
ReplyDeleteMy peeves: people who say "convo" (conversation), "vaykay" (vacation), "ridic" (ridiculous)...there are more examples but I've forgotten them! All of them courtesy of "Keeping up with the Kardashians"
ReplyDeleteMy biggest grammar pet peeve is when people mix up "lose" and "loose"!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many. It really bothers me when people use out-of-use words (to sound more educated? I'm not sure), but use them incorrectly.
ReplyDelete"Wherefore art my keys?"
Wherefore means "why," not "where."
"Whence on the bus, I ate my breakfast."
Whence means "from where," not "when" or "once."
In other news, "supposably" is a word, it just has a slightly different meaning than "supposedly."
I love this post!
ReplyDelete"her/him and I" vs "she/he and I"
I have the HARDEST time with where to punctuate with parentheses (inside, outside, sometimes on outside, sometimes on inside when it's a complete sentence?)?It's embarassing!
ReplyDeleteI have the HARDEST time with where to punctuate with parentheses (inside, outside, sometimes on outside, sometimes on inside when it's a complete sentence?)?It's embarassing!
ReplyDeleteYikes.. I thought I had grammar/spelling issues.. but after reading the comments turns out my offenses are minor by comparison..
ReplyDeleteI have heard this pet peeve is for true grammar purists, but I sometimes bristle when I hear people use "since" instead of "because."
ReplyDelete"Since" refers to time, as in "I have had a bad cold since last Thursday." "Because," on the other hand, refers to causation: "I cough all day long because I have a bad cold."
Or: "Since I learned the difference between 'since' and 'because,' I try to use the words correctly because I want people to think I have good grammar." Yes?
,,,when being asked, "how are you?" it's my grammar opinion that one should respond, "i'm well thank you" i cringe when people say, "good" this is my grammar pet-peeve,,,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Denise on "unique". Also, "random" is almost always used incorrectly. And "hopefully" means "filled with hope", not "I hope that..." (e.g., I hope that he will be on time, not hopefully he'll be on time.) Drives me CRAZY.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I seriously hate when people use "utilize" instead of "use."
"All the sudden."
ReplyDeleteNope.
Mod41, I once heard a great quote:
ReplyDelete"Never utilize something you can use."
I live in Oklahoma so I hear a lot of, "I seen" instead of "I saw." "Literally" makes me cringe. ;) You know one I have difficulty with? Affect & effect.
ReplyDeleteby two BIGGEST pet peeves on this subject:
ReplyDeleteyour vs. You're (you are!!!) Why don't people KNOW this?
AND, even worse.
Its vs. It's (It is)
My freshman year of college in an intro to English Lit class the professor wrote this on the board bc so many people had confused the two on our first assignment.
Oh and also...it's "for all intents and purposes" NOT "for all intensive purposes". What on earth is an "intensive purpose"?
Yes! It totally is.
ReplyDeleteAnd spelling.
It's just not as romantic being called an "Angle". (true story.)
Eat Cake
I'm a high school English teacher. I have so many grammar pet peeves. Literally thousands ;)
ReplyDeletethen vs. than
your vs. you're
its vs. it's
Let's just go with all of the homophones, shall we?
Oh, another one I thought of! I learned while writing for my University's newspaper that "over" is a physical placement, "more than" is for abstract topics like numbers. People usually say "There were over 300 people there!" But it should be "There were more than..." etc.
ReplyDeleteAt first I thought it was stupid and nit-picky, now it drives me nuts!
Lose versus loose. I've been seeing this more and more.
ReplyDeleteWhen you lose weight, your clothes are loose. You are not loosing weight. Drives me insane.
As a copy editor and writer, it's my misfortune to notice all the mistakes (what my copy chief at Oxford University Press would call infelicities of style and grammar). The ones that just kill a sentence for me are misuses of bring and that, envy and jealousy, proximity, and impact. Oh, and dangling modifying clauses and misused apostrophes.
ReplyDeleteOne I've noticed since moving to Baltimore is people will say things like, "this needs painted" instead of "this needs TO BE painted." It's so weird and bothers me so much, but I hear it pretty frequently. Am I crazy for thinking this isn't correct?
ReplyDeleteOoh, I could spend all day reading this :)
ReplyDeleteQuite vs. quiet and breathe vs. breath. Seems that many people do not know the difference.
And wah lah (or whatever awful way people choose to spell it) pretty sure there is no connection that it's French and spelled voila.
I'm an English professor, and I can't stand homonym errors such as "it's" instead of "its" or "to" and "too" mix-ups. Adults should know better!
ReplyDeleteMy mom always busts me on the lay down/lie down thing...so when she is around I usually just say I want to get "horizontal".
ReplyDeletewhen you call someone on the phone and to speak with _____. they say, "this is her." instead of "this is she."
ReplyDeletemy pet peeve is when people use air quotes with their fingers! bugs.
ReplyDeleteHaha, this is great!
ReplyDeleteI'm always the one that points out everyone's grammar mistakes so I should probably get that shirt(:
http://gloriousdaisies.blogspot.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that everyday/every day was much of a problem before marketeers took on 'everyday' as such a catch-phrase. Now you see it misused everywhere! Another one for me is less/fewer - this one definitely drives me nuts. And I heard a woman say to her kid the other day "Ready, STETTY, go!" - what on earth?!
ReplyDeletepast history....so redundant!
ReplyDeleteI'm laughing whilst reading the comments. SO great!
ReplyDeleteDEFINITELY <-- correct spelling
definatly <-- SUCH a pet peeve.
I'm so glad Aya (like 150 comments ago) mentioned conversate. I once dated a boy who did not believe me when I told him that the verb form of conversation was converse. He tried to sound sophisticated by substituting conversating for talking, but he sounded ridiculous. "I was conversating with my mom last night." Uuuggg. That was a red flag right there. I should have known the relationship would not last.
ReplyDeleteOh! Love this post and the comments too... I always am the bad guy when I correct my sisters and my friends for their grammar/spellings and unfortunately I can't keep my mouth shut :).So much so that when my sisters realise they've made a slip; they look at me and wait for me to correct them!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad this internet thing works and your article really helped me. Might take you up on that home advice you
ReplyDeletewedding dresses
Judgement vs judgment - big difference in the UK!
ReplyDeleteUsing text speak in emails - very annoying.
all ready vs already
ReplyDeleteHaha, I love this!
ReplyDeleteThis must be a generational difference but I've noticed more and more people saying:
ReplyDelete"I'm so excited FOR our trip to Cape Cod".
This drives me insane...I have to literally press my lips together in order not to scream "ABOUT; ABOUT. You are excited ABOUT your trip to Cape Cod". !!!!!!!
The work I do requires us communicating with a lot of busy managers by e-mail. One of the common errors they make is using the word confess for confuse. They also use the word defiantly instead of definitely. My mother passed away in May but we worked together and we often said we were "defiantly confessed" about things. No one understood but it was a funny inside joke between us.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a mechanic in our town and his sign says, "My Mechanic's". It's like an unfinished sentence.
Fewer vs. less.
ReplyDeleteEven television commercials get it wrong.
It's so great to know that so many others care about the use of correct grammar. A couple of my pet peeves are not knowing the difference between an adjective & an adverb-drives me crazy!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I had wonderful English teachers in high school and I was taught that when we speak or write we are expressing our opinion so it is unneccessary and redundant to say so as in "I think..." I've had people say "but that's just your opinion"-duh!
hello, if you interest more diference ensure vs insure please visit our website and read more, website is: http://ensurevsinsure.net
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThis is an informative post review. I am so pleased to get this post article and nice dress. I was looking forward to get such a post which is very helpful to us. A big thank for posting this article in this website. Keep it up.
sexy dresses
These are all really good examples! I feel like I just had a grammar class! Thank you everyone!
ReplyDeleteDHSTYLES.com is carries over 4000 unique trendy cheap sexy fashions and styles you will not find anywhere else. Runway styles, brand-name fashion clothing, Celebrity inspired styles, SEXY DRESSES, COCKTAIL DRESSES, PARTY DRESSES, TRENDY TOPS, PANTS, JEANS, SEXY TOPS, Jumper, Romper, Shoes, Clothing, Swimsuit, Accessory etc.
ReplyDeleteall at the prices you will love. Shop the latest junior and teen trend clothing, cheap club dress, and cute club tops, and hottest looks at the lowest prices.
Sexy Dresses, Sexy Dress, Sexy Top, Sexy Tops
Sexy Dresses
Sexy Dress
Sexy Top
Sexy Tops
This is fun.... because you learn things :)
ReplyDeleteMy pet peeve is the use of you're (the abbreviation for you are) vs. your (when something is yours)....
so simple yet so many people still interchange the two.
Wow I feel nervous commenting on a grammar post. Are you judging me?