Time for a Grammar Pet Peeve Thread

[Lisa in Katy]

My latest and greatest grammar pet peeve is when people use the word "of" when they mean "have". For instance, "I should of stayed in bed." I know this stems from the contraction, "I should've stayed in bed." but that comes from, "I should have stayed in bed." There is no OF in that sentence!

It seems like I see this more and more lately. I think the reason that it annoys me so much is because I once had a student turn in an incomplete math paper with lots of artwork in the margins. Beside the 30 that she earned for the paper, I wrote, "Spend more time on this (with an arrow pointing at the math) and less time on this (with an arrow pointing at the art)." Her mother, who was always rude and obnoxious, returned the paper with a note that said, "If you would of taught her, she could of finished the paper." Of course, it didn't matter that everyone else in the class made a grade between 85-100, it was my fault. So now when I see the word "of" used for the word "have" it brings back that bad memory.

Thanks for listening, now carry on!

 

[Tbone]

Well with what they have added to Webster's Dictionary lately This doesn't surprise me at all. People make up words, and if they catch on then they are added. ya'll have a great day now but for me I must book it on out of here.

 

[cherylchapa]

Nucular instead of nuclear drives me insane! Excetera instead of et cetera. And don't get me started on you and me verses you and I. I have a "friend" who thinks it is ALWAYS you and I and takes it upon herself to correct people when they are using the term correctly! ARRGH!

Oh and my old favorite when someone didn't hear or needs a repeat of what was said... wait for it...

do wha?

Now this is probably just a Texas thing (sorry if you're a Texan) but it sounds like (add stupid sounding voice) duh... wha?

Makes me crazy with a capital Z!

 

[Tbone]

Nucular instead of nuclear drives me insane! Excetera instead of et cetera. And don't get me started on you and me verses you and I. I have a "friend" who thinks it is ALWAYS you and I and takes it upon herself to correct people when they are using the term correctly! ARRGH!

Oh and my old favorite when someone didn't hear or needs a repeat of what was said... wait for it...

do wha?

Now this is probably just a Texas thing (sorry if you're a Texan) but it sounds like (add stupid sounding voice) duh... wha?

Makes me crazy with a capital Z!

Me & you, and you & me & we are all together. I hate it when they say me & __"Blank__ (insert person's name).........., when you know it should be "Blank & I..........

 

[Bina]

Wasn't it about 2 years ago that someone started a "Grammar/Spelling" type of thread and a small war broke out?
I don't sweat this kind of stuff on forums, but I sure would in a classroom.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

This will probably get me in trouble, but, the two most common grammatical errors I see on VR.com that inevitably catch my eye are:

1 - using the word THEN (def: at that time) for comparisons when the correct word for making comparisons is THAN.

(e.g. I would rather have Valve A THAN Valve B)

2 - misusing the homonyms (words that sound alike)
THEIR, THERE, and THEY'RE

THEIR - Possessive form of they, used before a noun
(Their Car, their house, their valve, etc.)

THERE - in or at that place

THEY'RE - Contraction for They Are

e.g. They're over There by Their car.

 

[Ross]

Ah Oh, Watch out folks, they're here!

Ah Oh, Watch out folks, they're here!

The grammer police have found us.

 

[Bina]

LOL..........she looks kinda naughty.

 

[Nancy]

I'm probably going to get flack for this post, however---

While I understand why people are annoyed by poor grammar, poor spelling, and typing mistakes, it is far more important for folks to get on here and express themselves the best way they are able to.

Not everyone has a terrific education, not everyone speaks English as their primary language. And we have to make allowances for different parts of the country where local idioms come into play.

The more hurdles we put in front of folks, the less we are able to help them.

The most important focus of what we have to do here is to help people get through a very rough time in their lives.

I have made my share of spelling, typing and grammar mistakes here and in other arenas, even selling online where the whole world can see.

I try to be forgiving for those who are in terrible emotional and physical pain. That is the most important thing here, anyway. IMHO

 

[Bina]

I'm probably going to get flack for this post, however---

While I understand why people are annoyed by poor grammar, poor spelling, and typing mistakes, it is far more important for folks to get on here and express themselves the best way they are able to.

Not everyone has a terrific education, not everyone speaks English as their primary language. And we have to make allowances for different parts of the country where local idioms come into play.

The more hurdles we put in front of folks, the less we are able to help them.

The most important focus of what we have to do here is to help people get through a very rough time in their lives.

I have made my share of spelling, typing and grammar mistakes here and in other arenas, even selling online where the whole world can see.

I try to be forgiving for those who are in terrible emotional and physical pain. That is the most important thing here, anyway. IMHO

Right on......!!

 

[Freddie]

I'm probably going to get flack for this post, however---

While I understand why people are annoyed by poor grammar, poor spelling, and typing mistakes, it is far more important for folks to get on here and express themselves the best way they are able to.

Not everyone has a terrific education, not everyone speaks English as their primary language. And we have to make allowances for different parts of the country where local idioms come into play.

The more hurdles we put in front of folks, the less we are able to help them.

The most important focus of what we have to do here is to help people get through a very rough time in their lives.

I have made my share of spelling, typing and grammar mistakes here and in other arenas, even selling online where the whole world can see.

I try to be forgiving for those who are in terrible emotional and physical pain. That is the most important thing here, anyway. IMHO

Nancy, you done did it again You hit the nail on the head.
But in the future, I'll do my best to watch my grammar and spelling.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I didn't say that anyone on here was guilty. It's just a pet peeve! Geesh! I don't expect perfection from anyone. I have a tendency to type our when I mean are (or vice versa) and that's just an error caused by going too fast and not proofreading well. As I said, the "of" mistake just brings back a memory of a particularly annoying parent every time I see it. That's the reason it's my pet peeve, not the error itself.

 

[Wise]

One of my favorite books is The Grouchy Grammarian by Thomas Parrish. It is actually, for us grammar nerds, a good read. It is also full of good clean humor.

Everyone has pet peeves. These pet peeves happen to be about grammar. It's all good fun, IMHO.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Thanks Wise. I'll have to read it.

 

[Karlynn]

I got you Lisa! Just general grammatical pet peeves.

Mine is the incorrect use of the word "disrespect" as a verb!!!! My husband can't believe how otherwise intelligent business people use it as a verb. "Don't disrespect me." He will correct them - you mean "Don't be disrespectful of me." or "to me." The sad part is that these words that have become accepted parts of informal language are now being put in the dictionary.

I also bristle at cute spellings like The Kozy Kitchen. My Mother was an English teacher so correct use of the language was drilled into my head.

So many people should OF payed more attention in school.

 

[Cris N]

I work in a university. In one of the ladies' restrooms there is a sign by light switch that reads: "Please do not turn off the lights. Not everyone who uses this restroom can reach the light switch. Security personnel or MYSELF will turn off the lights."

Lisa, not only do people here (Wisconsin - not the forum) use OF instead of HAVE they also get the tense wrong. My favorite example is: "I wish I would of wrote him a letter."

Or, "She should of came with us to the mall."

I tend to overlook/ignore spelling & grammatical errors in emails and forums such as this particularly since we all come from different backgrounds, regions, or countries where customs are different. My complaint is mainly focused on the people I hear around me every day at work. And some of it comes from people with master/doctorates.

One of the other things I've noticed is in books (mostly fiction). Somewhere along the line the language changed and no one told me. I frequently see things like, "he dived into the pool". I guess I must be getting old- 'back in the day' I would have read, "he dove into the pool". Hmmm.....

 

[Wise]

I'm not bothered by errors in grammar on public forums or where there is no requirement for accuracy. However my biggest grammar pet peeve is when sloppy grammar is evident in newspapers or professional publications. I've seen it more often in newspapers.

The Grouchy Grammarian book I referred to earlier is about grammar errors committed by "professionals." It is written by a Kentucky author, Thomas Parrish. It provided numerous chuckles for me. I checked it out at the library. Those who enjoy writing will find it humorous and maybe even helpful. You can also check out www.grouchygrammarian.com.

 

[Bina]

When I was a child the correct wording was: He dove into the pool.
Now the correct and common wording is: He dived into the pool.
Same thing with You, Me, I.
I grew up being drilled to say: Dave and I are going to the store.
Now all I hear is: Me and Dave are going to the store//Dave and me are going to the store.

 

[Woodbutcher]

24/7 ! Grrrrrrr !
Wild over use of the exclamation mark !!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr !
How are you ? "I'm good thanks". Good.... What does that mean ? You weren't asked if you're well behaved ?! Surely you'd be well or fine NOT good ?
Here's the other one that bugs me. You go to a shop or store to get something, right ? So why then go into the store and say "Can I GET a coffee" when it should be "Can I have a coffee". That one really annoys me !!!!!!!
But when all's said and done Nancy is of course right, cummunication as long as it's understood is the most important thing . Plus the fact my grammar and spelling are terrible so I should keep shtum !?

 

[olefin]

I'm probably going to get flack for this post, however---

While I understand why people are annoyed by poor grammar, poor spelling, and typing mistakes, it is far more important for folks to get on here and express themselves the best way they are able to.

Not everyone has a terrific education, not everyone speaks English as their primary language. And we have to make allowances for different parts of the country where local idioms come into play.

The more hurdles we put in front of folks, the less we are able to help them.

The most important focus of what we have to do here is to help people get through a very rough time in their lives.

I have made my share of spelling, typing and grammar mistakes here and in other arenas, even selling online where the whole world can see.

I try to be forgiving for those who are in terrible emotional and physical pain. That is the most important thing here, anyway. IMHO

Thank you Nancy!
My grammar is poor and so is my spelling. So what. Sure had no effect on being successful in my working career.

I dropped out of school at 16, in the USAF at 17.
But when I retired at age 54, I had several chemical engineers reporting to me. Some of those were plant managers. All my peers were engineers, one had a PhD.
We had several hourly plant operators that used great grammar for they had teaching degrees.