Grammar peeves

Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.

Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )

--
Joyce

Mother teach me to walk again
Milk and honey, so intoxicating -- Sarah McLaughlin

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.


Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )

--
Joyce

Yes, all of those grate on me too, along with "her and I" and one I hear a
lot from a dear friend, "Myself and Linda went ...".

I read once that we should pick our friends by their faults, not their
virtues. IOW, choose people with faults you can bear. I manage with him,
barely, but he really is a good friend, so I grit my teeth and say nothing.

Joy

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.


I won't!

Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )


My ex-manager could never grasp the difference between their, there, and
they're. It used to drive me mad if I got an email from her saying "Their
is something I would like to discuss.."
Aargh!
The difference between using I or me is easily sorted. Remove the other
person from the sentence and you'll see what you should use.
We were so firmly instructed at school in English language. We had lessons
in it every day.

Christina Websell wrote:

My ex-manager could never grasp the difference between their, there, and
they're. It used to drive me mad if I got an email from her saying "Their
is something I would like to discuss.."
Aargh!
The difference between using I or me is easily sorted. Remove the other
person from the sentence and you'll see what you should use.
We were so firmly instructed at school in English language. We had lessons
in it every day.

Well, except for your ex-manager, I guess.

Your way to figure out whether to use the subject or object pronoun is
exactly what I tell people who don't easily see the difference - remove
the other person, and it's obvious. So if you're tempted to say, "This was
a gift for my husband and I," just take the husband out of the sentence
and see how that sounds: "This was a gift for I." If you say that, you
sound very silly. Rule of thumb: if it's wrong for one person, it's still
wrong when you add other people to the sentence.

Here's where I fall down on the job. I simply refuse to use a subject
pronoun after a comparative word such as "than" or "as," even though I
know it's correct. It sounds insufferably pretentious to me. I will not
say, "She is a friendlier person than I" - and you can't make me. If
you say that in the US, you'll get a lot of funny looks, unless you hang
with very precise and formal speakers.

(In a pinch, when correct grammar is absolutely required but I still
don't want to come off sounding pretentious, I can always say that she
is a friendlier person than I *am*. )

--
Joyce

Hi, this is the Sylvia stress reduction hotline. At the sound of
the beep, repeat after me: "This week, let someone else strive for
excellence." -- Nicole Hollander

On 8/17/2012 6:40 PM, Bastette wrote:
Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.

Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )

The one that bugs me is "lay" and "lie". Lay refers to an object.
Please lay your things on the table. People lie I'm going to lie
down for a while.

I moved so often as a child (usually in the middle of a school year) I
never knew what to expect in English class. Sometimes a school would
combine "English" [language] with "literature" and I'd arrive at a new
school the semester after they finished the language part of the class.
I can't tell you anything other than the basic parts of speech.
Diagram a sentence? Not likely! I'm sure I make a lot of grammatical
errors. Blame the military

Somehow I never managed to make it to a geography class, either.
Ironically, I was too busy moving from place to place.

Jill

"Christina Websell" wrote:
"Bastette" wrote in message
...
Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.


I won't!

Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )


My ex-manager could never grasp the difference between their, there, and
they're. It used to drive me mad if I got an email from her saying "Their
is something I would like to discuss.."
Aargh!
The difference between using I or me is easily sorted. Remove the other
person from the sentence and you'll see what you should use.
We were so firmly instructed at school in English language. We had lessons
in it every day.

I don't need to be driven mad, it's close enough to walk. ;-)

Another thing that irritates me, is text speak, even when it is a text,
it's usually easy to say what you want without abbreviations.
--
Adrian

Bastette wrote:
Starting a new thread so Tweed won't think we're all gossiping about her.

Mike wrote:

The mistakes that bother me the most are the use of SEEN where SAW would
be correct and the incorrect use of THERE, THEIR, and THEY'RE.

Grammar peeves are like... well, you know. Everybody has one. I
certainly do.

The writing mistake that bothers me the most is "could of, would of,
should of." AAAAAAAgh! When I see that, it's like taking a popsicle stick
and moving it back and forth along the edges of my teeth. You know how
unpleasant that is. That's what it's like when I see that, it's a real
visceral reaction. (Yeah, I know, they have medication for that... )

The other mistake I hate is "between John and I" and the like. I now see
that construction in professional writing such as marketing brochures, so
I guess it's "arrived." We're stuck with it - oh, god, NOOOO! Make it go
away!

Other writing errors:

If you don't like the there/their/they're problem, you probably also hate
your vs. you're mistakes.

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )


Yes, it's misuse of apostrophes that's really irritating to me.
--
Adrian

Adrian wrote:

Another thing that irritates me, is text speak, even when it is a text,
it's usually easy to say what you want without abbreviations.

In fairness, sometimes those abbreviations are necessary. When I send
an email to my friend's phone number (which she receives as a text),
there's a limit of 100 characters. So unless I want to send her 10
messages, I abbreviate a lot so I can get more info into one message.

--
Joyce

A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead.
-- Leo Rosten

Adrian wrote:

(Person A: "Your stupid." Person B: "My stupid what?" )

Yes, it's misuse of apostrophes that's really irritating to me.

I know, its so annoying when people don't pay attention to English
and it's rules.

--
Joyce

A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead.
-- Leo Rosten

Judith Latham wrote:

my pet peeves a-

"Can I?" instead of "May I?"

Guilty as charged. I have a friend who, when I say "Can I have another
piece?" always answers, "Yes, you may." Thank you, Mrs. Krabopple.

"Brought" instead of "Bought"

That's an unusual one - never heard it. As in, "Look at this shirt I
just brought"? Maybe that's more common in the UK.

"Regular" instead of "Normal"

I would see those two as pretty interchangeable in many contexts. What
bothers you about it?

"Lend" instead of "Borrow"

Another one I've never heard. As in, "Can I lend some money from you?"
And people understand that?

This is one reason why, although I can get quite irritated by my
particular peeves, I don't think there's a logical basis for it. Why
does one bother me and another is fine? Why do I choose to continue
committing my own errors, even when I know they're wrong? Because
they *sound* better to my ears. Enough other people do it that I don't
hear it as an error. So, unless someone is an English professor and
their speech is impeccable, and they react the same way to other
people's misuses no matter what they are, I think language peeves
are highly idiosyncratic.

--
Joyce

A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they're dead.
-- Leo Rosten