Your/You're
Your is possessive, while you're is a contraction of "you are."
Both words used in a sentence: You're pissing me off with your ignorance of proper grammar.
Lose/Loose
Lose means to fail to keep, while loose is the opposite of tight or constrained.
Both words used in a sentence: If you continue to maim the language, I will lose my mind and let loose a stream of profanity.
Their/There/They're
Their is possessive, there is a location and they're is a contraction of "they are."
All words used in a sentence: Their improper use of grammar guarantees that they're going to rot down there in Hell.
Saw/Seen
Saw is the past tense of "see", while seen is the past tense of "see" that must be used with an auxiliary verb like "have."
Both words used in a sentence: I have seen a lot of grammatical errors, but when I saw what you did, I wanted to punch you.
Its/It's/Its'
Its is possessive, while it's is a contraction of "it is" and its' is not a word.
Both (real) words used in a sentence: Due to the death of the English language, it's official, the world has surely come to its end.
Okay, enough. There are other infractions (for instance, it's supposed to not suppose to) that make me want to go on a killing spree, but I'll stop here before I have an aneurysm.
So, tell me folks, what common grammar errors make you cringe?
*Of course I am always willing to give people the benefit of the doubt if English is their second language. I certainly could not converse fluently in any language other than English, so I have great respect for individuals that are bi- or multilingual. Also, I am not talking about people who have the occasional mess up. We all have unintentional lapses in literacy on occasion. I do not claim to be infallible, but I do try my best to appear remotely intelligent. Now that I've said that, I'm sure someone will find some blaring mistake in my rant above.
70 comments:
According to my english teacher husband your is acceptable in the place of you're (but not v.v.). He still teaches your possessive and you're is you are.
Poor grammar drives me nuts.
And I didn't capitalize English Teacher. Great, now I'm the offender.
Oh, I'm so with you on this one. Not that I have perfect grammar - far from it. And I probably throw in more online acronyms than necessary a lot of the time, but if I'm using whole words I try to use them properly.
My cringe-worthy trio of confusion (& I'll even try to use them in a sentence like you did):
Too/To/Two
Is it too hard to rub two brain cells together & find the right word?
Another pet peeve is unnecessary quotation "marks" ... but that's a whole different rant LOL =)
Spelling definitely incorrectly as definately makes me a crazy person.
Lately, the one that has gotten on my nerves is using "of" in the conditional past when one should use "have". I know it's because the contraction of "have" in to "'ve" sounds like "of", but people really should have, would have, could have rather than should of, would of, could of.
I'm not a crazy grammer person, but yes, the above drive me batty, too. Facebook status updates are gold for things like this. Ugh. :/
Shannon, can this retired teacher add a few more? I really get my panties in a twist when I see an apostrophe where it is not needed, or missing when it is needed. And then, of course, there is the dropping of the ly from an adverb. When you start listening for this one, it will drive you nuts. Once, after hearing me ranting on and on about it, my class noticed a local TV anchor woman dropping her ly every night. We wrote to her and when she replied with a huge thank you, we hung her letter in the hallway for all to see!
I would first like to state that i can, in a sense see your point of view on the matter of "grammar" it is very important, without it we as a society could not communicate, however that is all i can relate to in your rant. I believe your rant may be over dramatized and, if we are being as correct as you seem to wish, slightly uneducated.
I would like to point out the start of your rant where you state "I can no longer condone blatant disrespect for the English language." The fact that some of the population forgets to cross their "T's" and dot their "i's" is not the end of the world. Language is simply a set of symbols that convey meaning. Therefore if you still understand the meaning, is the English language not alive and well? When telegraphs were largely in use the grammar they used would show little resemblance to your grammar, yet they still were able to understand the meaning very clearly.
I understand you are a chemistry teacher, therefore your view of intelligence may be biased, you seem to base intelligence on the ability to write using proper technique. However I'm sure you are aware that intelligence takes many roles? I am curious what you would describe as being intelligent? Is one intelligent because they are able to study, and recite information on a test? or perhaps, intelligence is being able to paint a masterpiece. This ties greatly into my last point, which is in regards to your statement of mass murder?
Even though i have never heard one of my teachers talk about murdering people due to grammar, i can see you feel strongly. However did you stop to think that perhaps those people that you are killing may play a bigger role in society than you? As you are a teacher you have clearly spent many years in the education program refining your grammar for papers, maybe a thesis? And have been exposed to grammar for many years; on the other side, many people have not. Take for example the men and women who built your house; their grammar may not have been perfect, however without them you would live on the street. What about those who fix your car, do they have perfect grammar? If it was not for them you would walk to work, if your work was there of course, because the person laying the bricks at your school may not have had perfect grammar as well, thus that person would have been killed by YOU so all the children, and teachers at the school would no longer be getting an education or paycheck.
I hope you see where this is going, you may see grammar as something of great importance, however the world does not revolve around it. Perhaps you should rethink your statement before those who keep your world turning are too insulted to fix your car next time it breaks down, or fix your street next time it has a pot hole.
I *always* get it's and its wrong. And I KNOW the difference. I just type too fast and am a terrible proofreader.
I am also now newly confused with passed and pass. When people say, 'I'm going to come pass" I don't know what they are saying to be. Are you coming 'past' my house? Have you 'passed' my house? Oy
ROTFLOL at your post and at the comment directly above mine. Wow! Who knew grammar could cause someone to come to blows! :)
...excuse me I did not mean Cidell's post but the anonymous one before that one...
While these all bug the heck out of me, I think the seen/have seen one grates on me most because it's usually *spoken* that way too and just sounds plain dumb.
Crap. Was my post what set this off? I have terrible grammar sometimes. I do kind of have to agree with anonymous though. Grammar isn't the biggest concern in the world. And many people have contributed huge things to this world who didn't have "perfect" grammar.
I agree with all of the above. I also cringe at the use of did and done. "Did you look at what I have done?"
And the current trend to use nouns and adjectives as verbs is disturbing. The most common is the use of gifted (an adjective) and gift (a noun) as a verb. "She is a gifted seamstress and I gave her a gift of fabric." NOT "I gifted her some fabric."
Regarding the comment by Anonymous, all of these basic errors in grammar would have been taught in High School to EVERYONE regardless of their future occupations or level of higher education. And many of these mistakes are found on blogs. When a person blogs, she becomes a writer and she owes her readers the care necessary to make her blog easy to read. It is also a sign of respect that a blogger, and a respondent, cares enough to put effort into a public missal. I don't believe that it is "no big deal" when we use our language carelessly.
At one time we English Teachers were told to just let the students get their thoughts on paper regardless of their technique. It soon became clear to me that a garbled missive with little or no punctuation and poor basic grammar further confused the reader and the thoughts that might have been there are lost in the confusion. It does not take much time to read what we have written, and to read it aloud if necessary.
Here are a few that cause me to cringe:
breathe/breath: they are not interchangable!
Whilst/while: Unless you're writing from Britain, use while.
Texting in normal writing. Please avoid doing this; it's difficult to decipher. I understand using it in the right context. However, normal writing is not that context, OK?
By the way, proper grammar is important. Try submitting a resume with incorrect spelling and grammar sometime, and see if you get very far.
I am actually a grade 12 student, and I rarely lost marks due to grammar up until my grade 12 year, the "get your thoughts on paper" mentality is alive and well. However, as I said in my initial post, there are many kinds of intelligence, not everyone is gifted enough to remember, and understand the concepts of the English language, even if it was taught. I would also like to comment on your gender stereotype "When a person blogs, SHE becomes a writer and SHE owes her readers".... males blog to.
I know I've made my share of grammatical mistakes. I like to think that I think faster than I type! ;)
With that in mind, there are two phrases that I use without apology: y'all and who dat (I'm a lifetime New Orleans Saints Fan!)
You missed too/to. That's the one that drives me crazy. The second o that makes it mean also is hardly ever there. Love your title!
KathrynT
The one that makes me sweat is "effect and affect". Most of the time I feel confident but not always.
Whoo!!! Go Shannon! *Worships at your feet*
When someone says acrost instead of across - urgh.
Poor grammar makes me cringe and grit my teeth, but when it REALLY ticks me off is when it comes from anyone for whom language is their profession! From journalists and professional writers it is not acceptable to make glaring mistakes that I, a (far from perfect) lay person, can pick!
Oh, and I'm pretty anal about text language too. I can't stand it, and don't even abbreviate in a text message unless I can't fit everything in. Given it's almost ubiquitous use, I get irritated a lot :-)
I see lose/loose wrong so many times that I honestly started to think that it was an english (where I am from) spelling quirk (like colour/color for example). I even saw it in Vogue magazine last year in huge type. But I am the first to admit that I am no great writer - I try to get it right but undoubtedly fail a lot.
The its vs. it's really bothers me.
I have a grad degree and I'm guilty of not knowing when to use "of" and "have" (per the above comment) and affect vs. effect. :(
You're/Your and Lose/Loose are my pet peeves. I thought I was the only one! lol I started teaching English to a few Japanese women (I live in Japan) last month. It made me realize that maybe my grammar isn't as good as I thought it was! English is a hard language to learn.
LOL! I *love* your sample sentences, and even called DH over to read. We both get peeved over the same errors. He added, "Geez, angry Canadians... no wonder they had all their guns taken away!"
Too funny, I'm stickin' around for awhile!
Heheh, Eats Shoots and Leaves comes to mind (those who've read it will recognize the reference).
I'd like to add "can I" vs. "may I" as frequently misapplied; my pet peeve though is seeing "phosphorous" the adjective when "phosphorus" the noun was intended. One would be surprised how often it's misspelled, even in so-called reputable sources.
These drive me nuts, too! The one that I am constantly correcting with my staff is the spelling for drawer. All of my reception staff keep calling it the cash draw. Last night, after weeks of listening to DH telling me about how many punkins are growing in his punkin patch, I asked if he had trouble saying the word pumpkin. He went on to tell me some other words that he can pronounce very well. My mother forced me to take elocution lessons as a child and she had me doing spelling tests before I even started school, so I am anal about these things.
I forgot to mention my other pet peeve - sentences like this from journalists;
'The Canadian ski team ARE doing well'.
I am forever screaming at the television and correcting their grammar.
Another common grammatical error is the misuse of subjective vs. objective pronouns.
Mary invited him and me for dinner.
NOT Mary invited he and I for dinner .
I used to work with a girl who said "tooken" all the time. as in: Don't worry I've already tooken the mail out.
I know right? I often miss typos - and then I just don't feel like logging in and fixing them. Need to blog slower :} g
Those who pronounce "taut" as "taunt". Not the same thing at all!!!
Another one not previously mentioned.....I brought this at the supermarket. Uh, no.
Anonymous is just sooo outraged, they can't even put their name on their comment. Pity.
Shannon, I'm absolutely with you! To the annoyed Anonymous above, I'm disappointed that you are a current year 12 student and yet don't see the importance of correct grammar.
Has anyone else noticed that the word ACRONYM very commonly now replaces the word ABBREVIATION? I've always understood that an acronym is an abbreviation that can be pronounced like a word e.g. AIDS, UNESCO, NASA. So, abbreviations such as BBC, USA and FDA are just that, and not acronyms. Does anyone know if my understanding is correct?
I enjoy your blog, thanks Shannon! Eliza
Informal style is OK in blogging, and typos in comments are fine by me, just like we all make slips of the tongue when speaking but I do see some things that make me wince. "Predominately" for predominantly grates on my nerves, as does "definately" for definitely. And "grammer" - aaaaargh. But I was an English teacher for twenty plus years and now I am an editor (hehehe), so I have had my fill of correcting people. I cut ESL speakers plenty of slack (I also taught them for many years and recognize their multiple lingusitic abilities). So now I don't offer my professional services for nothing and keep quiet about what I see on blogs. On newspaper websites, though, howlers make me angry..... :)
Hatty
Apostrophes, to/too, then/than...
Honestly, reading blogs and forums has had a bad influence on my own spelling. Eek!
Hi there!
I've been following your blog for quite some time, but this is my first comment.
I loved your post! Now, I'm not a native English speaker (I am Serbian), so I expect there are lots of typos and grammatical errors in my English, but I totally transferred your words to Serbian, which is my native language. I am often shocked by ignorance of many people I know. And just for the clarification - Serbian has one very useful and simple spelling rule: we write the words exactly as we pronounce them (meaning each sound in our language has its corresponding unique letter). Knowing that, I'm so disappointed by lack of basic grammar knowledge among many Serbians (and many of them have their college degrees!).
@ Carol: funny about The Canadian ski team ARE doing well'. That's what we are taught here. Such as "the police are investigating the case". Is it a US/UK difference?
Blimey, I hope my own blog doesn't make too many people cringe.
I hate when people mispronounce words like "libary", hello there's another R in there! Or when the wrong word is used when another word was obviously meant. Shows ignorance. These are, however, minor annoyances. The world's going to hell in a handbasket already!
I have several language peeves - one being the misuse of the word 'badly', as in, "I felt so badly that she was ill." I hear it on television and even see it in print. No, you felt bad, unless you were feeling her with your hands. One of the others is fabricated words - 'boughten', as in "Had you boughten it recently?", and 'irregardless' - take that stinkin' 'ir' off the word, for pete's sake!
Shannon, you were my girl crush before, now you're my hero (or should it be heroine???).
In Baltimore, people say 'Skreet' for 'Street' and 'Scrimps' for 'Shrimp'. I've also gotten used to 'dug' for 'Dog' and 'patterens and moderen' for 'patterns and modern'. Not grammar per se, but drives me bananas just the same.
"Is it a US/UK difference?"
Isabelle - that's exactly right. One form is proper in the US and the other is proper in the UK (and I think Australia too).
One that I've seen more and more is "for all intensive purposes." I want to stop those people and say, "What do you even think that *means*?" For all intents and purposes means that with any intention you might have, for any purpose you might have, the statement is true. "For all intensive purposes" means that it's only true for the "intensive"(?) ones, which is usually not most of them.
I think that one grinds on me so because it isn't like you're/your where getting it wrong comes from a lack of knowledge of how grammar and abbreviations are structured. It comes from clumsy pronunciation, clumsy listening, and flat out failing to think about what a phrase might mean. Most of our colloquialisms actually do make sense if you trace them back. Really.
wow - this post sure has got people talking!
now my 2 cents worth ..
Before I became I SAHM I was a trained adult literacy teacher. I taught people who for one reason or another had never had a formal education and so could not write at all (the term is "preliterate"). The first thing we taught them was how to sit still in a class and study for a couple of hours at a time. Then we looked at how to move a pencil and form shapes etc. Then we started the formal stuff.
We focussed first and foremost on intelligibility in writing. Was the message able to be understood? Did the errors create temporary confusion or was there a serious breakdown in communication?
The we looked at consequences. Would that spelling mistake mean the person looked un-educated and so miss a job/promotion opportunity?
Would incorrectly filling out a medical form lead to misdiagnosis?
The most serious and common consequences of not being able to write standard English are poverty. Not being able to write in a highly literate culture condemns people to life of low skill, poorly paid jobs with no opportunities to get more skilled work.
From my point of view, I love reading sewing blogs because I love sharing the passion for sewing. I am not at all bothered by mistakes, for me, mistakes in blogging are typical of the genre - it is an informal written English, like texting, so a great deal of variety is expected.
Loving your choices for Spring. That skirt pattern is just adorable.
Can't wait to see it!
Although I know I make plenty of typos and embarrassing homonym mistakes in my blog because I'm generally typing quickly, I totally agree that it drives me crazy! The misspelling of "definitely" is high up on my pet peeve list, but that's not a grammar thing. The use of apostrophes to make plurals is horrifying, and I see it even in very high dollar advertising campaigns for "TV's." Does Madison Avenue not have a single copy editor?
I had a boyfriend who misused "gambit" when he meant "gamut." It drove me crazy. I know these are both obscure words but that's why you shouldn't use words you don't know! Though I suppose he thought he knew the word.
sadly, grammar is not really taught in school anymore. i am thrilled that my 9th grader's english teacher is a grammar nut. however, even without formal grammar lessons in school, there are basic errors made all over the internet and it drives me nuts. apostrophes are not a difficult concept. their/there/they're is not a difficult concept. trying to read some posts/comments is simply painful.
good grammar is something that only "highly educated" people should know. students should learn most of these things in elementary school.
I agree with all of the grammar outrage listed above, although I am absolutely certain that I am not grammatically correct all of the time.
I also find the addition of letters to an existing word distressing- 'alblum' instead of 'album', and 'warsh' instead of 'wash', etc.
I will add that the misuse of 'borrow' and 'lend' causes me to break into a sweat. If I hear something along the lines of "Will you borrow me that sweater?" one more time, I sincerely believe that I will spontaneously combust.
As to the first Anonymous (who was too chicken to post their own name!) rant asserting that we are all elitist pigs for wishing that English was spoken with a regard for grammar, how on earth do they expect this language to continue without abiding by (at least some of) the rules?
Language, much like society, benefits from having (and following) some rules. As much as we grumble as we begrudgingly comply, imagine:
*Driving a car with no rules of the road!
*That anyone could do whatever they wished to our food and water supply.
*That anyone could build anything, anywhere.
*That anyone could do whatever they wanted, anytime.
*There being no consequence for murder.
Complete and utter pandemonium would certainly ensue.
If we all speak our own version of English, how will we ever understand each other?
Yes, dialects, slang and colloquialisms will always be a part of our language- but the basic underlying framework needs to be strong in order for English to survive. If the language needs to evolve, it can, but we must all be working from the same page.
Now is it elitist for me to want to be able to communicate with others? I think not. I think it's the exact opposite. I also believe that everyone should be able to get a first rate education. I do not think that is too much to ask of a country. Education should be our first priority. I want to be able to speak to and understand everyone. Everyone!
(Even Anonymous trolls who leave pompous hit and run posts!)
I cringe when I see split infinitives such as "to proerly use the English language", especially when a teacher splits an infinitive!
One that drives me crazy on the highway is Buses/Busses. I pass a sign daily that says "Right Lane Busses Only."
Margene
I LOVE THIS POST and all the comments. I am feeling so happily vindicated! Yes, I will admit that I, too, am a teacher (even worse, a homeschool teacher, so my students get to LIVE with their English teacher!) Here's my addition to this fabulous list:
- should have saw
- should have went
- should have did
Oh. My. Gosh. I hate those.
SherryV
Lose/loose is the one that makes me want to bite most right now. The original spelling seems to be entirely lost.
And I'm not a native English speaker. Native English speakers are the worst offenders as far as I can see, the foreigners at least make an effort.
Harumph.
Shannon, I am a retired medical transcriptionist, and we had to know the language inside out, upside down, etc. Grammatical errors just irritate the H___ out of me!
What about "take" and "bring"? I took it to school versus I brought it to school. Everyone nowadays is using brought, but the very definitions dictate that it should be "took"! That one really irritates me.
I also abhor the use of a singular noun with multiple subjects: There's tons of errors in today's usage of language. That one just bugs me too!
Plus all of the ones, plus many more, that have been mentioned so far!
Gail D.
The use of the unword "kewl" in an attempt to come across as hip and witty on the internet, typically by women who are closer to 65 than 16.
Kewl definition
1. (adj.) Slang. Totally awesome; great or exciting.
Origins: An alternate spelling of the 1970's term cool. There are suggestions that this spelling originated from the popular "1337" (leet, elite) speech used among today's online pop culture. The replacement of oo with ew suggests that the person using the term is better than someone else who uses the proper spelling.
Source: The Unword dictionary
Wow - what a hot topic !
I'm not a teacher, english or otherwise. When I was in school, I was not the best of students. However, we were taught grammar and spelling and mistakes counted against your grade.
Anonymous has stated..."not everyone is gifted enough to remember, and understand the concepts of the English language, even if it was taught".
For me, grammar started in about grade what ? one ? and continued right through grade 12. It's a sorry state if the basic concepts have not sunk in in that amount of time. Of course, that's not to say I don't make mistakes :-).
Now I work as a secretary and must proof documentation that is sent out to our supplier and clients. The grammar used is appalling and I'm anal enough to have to correct it all. In my mind it gives the impression that you just don't care about the impression you give to others.
As for my pet peeves, the most common ones these days are lose/loose and their/there/they're
Oops, forgot the last period.
The one that completely drives me crazy and I see a lot is allot, or alot. It's two words people! For the spoken language I also cringe when people say liberry or suposibly.
Oh, I could not agree more!
English is not my first language, and I feel kind of funny correcting any native speakers; but I have a thing for (any kind of) language, and it's driving me nuts to see it assaulted everywhere, every day.
One thing that makes me cringe in particular and is driving me absolutely bonkers is the far too widespread misuse of compound pronouns subject/object:
Wrong:
She gave English lessons to "John and I." --OUCH!!
or: How do you like "Matt and I's" matching T-shirts? --STOP IT!! *I's* - really?!!
Correct:
She gave English lessons to John and ME.
John and *I* took English lessons.
It's not that difficult, folks (especially you people on tv, in the news - you should really know better!). If in doubt, just strike "John and" and then decide whether you'd really want to say "She gave lessons to *I*" or "you like *I's* new T-shirt."
How about *a lot*, *allot* and *alot*?
*A lot* (=many) people don't know that to *allot* means to asign, distribute, and that *alot* is simply NOT a word.
"Definately" is another gem, and I have been known to judge people for it. (I didn't say I was proud of it...) I wonder, did they take Finate Math or Finite Math [from lat: finis] in school/college? Or neither...?
I could go on and on....
Finito (or should I say Finato) with this abuse!
Calvary and cavalry. The first is the place where Christ was crucified and second is a troop of mounted soldiers.
Oh boy!
The addition of "looking to" into written and spoken sentences is pervasive. You will spot these extra words everywhere.
Whenever someone says they spent an hour "pouring" over a magazine (instead of "poring") I imagine a liquifying experience and I cringe.
Dawn
This is the first time I've ever commented on this site. I'm always annoyed when I see the word "alot" instead of "a lot". It grates on my nerves.
Great post :)
Oh goodness...all the examples you gave drive me nut, Shannon.
Two others on my list - using the word MUTE instead of MOOT. That one drives me up the wall. I have managed somehow to stay mute about the error, but for how much longer, I am not sure!
The other one is more a spelling error than a gammatical error, but close enough. When did PAYED become the correct way to spell the past tense of PAY??? It's PAID!!! If I was paid a loonie for every time I saw the word payed instead of paid, I would be a wealthy woman!
What saddens me most is that these abuses are at the hands of otherwise wll educated men and women. I realize that languages/spelling evolves (we don't speak/write like they did in Shakespeare's time) but for crying out loud...know the difference, and use the right words when it counts!
...stepping off soapbox now...thank you Shannon!
Pearl in BC
sigh...my spelling/grammar may be pretty darn good, but I need to go back to typing school!
nut should be nuts...wll should be well...
sigh...
I'll plead guilty to a few - misplaced apostrophes, quote marks, spelling, etc. In some cases, it's hurried or just bad typing, in others it's been so long since I was taught the rules in school, that I've forgotten some (where to use a colon in a sentence for example). It depends on the day and situation how badly it grates on me. Some days I'm just glad blogging and other internet activities have gotten people writing again. One thing I keep hearing is "it's got", I think it's for "it has got" but that just doesn't sound right - is it?
it drives me nuts when i hear for free, by accident, or on purpose. using over and under instead of more than and less than. when people mispronounce the word address thinking they sound fancy, one is a noun, one is a verb. when an S is added to the end of toward. i could go on and on.
Great post, Shannon! I LOVE your examples. I get annoyed at mistakes, but I make them too, so can't complain much. I do really hate text messaging type abbreviations when one is sitting at a keyboard. Hard for us old farts to read and there's no excuse for it. There are certain words I have to think about a long time, like accept and except; affect and effect as previously mentioned. I had NO grammer education in school, but thankfully, grew up in a household where good grammer and vocabulary was used a lot. But...I couldn't diagram a sentence if my life depended on it! I wonder if there's a "Grammer for Dummies" book? Is it too late for me to learn what a preposition or a participle is...or is it are?
Affect/effect. Screech.
I completely agree with you! I'm a French speaker and an English teacher so that means I have to listen to and read about mistakes in both languages on a daily basis :( French students' favourite errors:
"I'M agree with you", "I listen THE music", "I HAVE 16 years old", "I'm interestING TO sport"...
It's worse in England/Britain, believe me: and I don't mean ESL either. Native white British people are PROUD to be ignorant of their language.
My current hates:
- lose/loose
- could of, instead of could have
- putting an apostrophe before EVERY ess, ie pet's, dinner's, shoe's
Oh, and my OH always says "I'm just talking out loud". Of course you are love: you just aren't thinking out loud. ;)
Post a Comment