What is your pet peeve about grammar?

[ronandannette]

Apostrophes used to make a singular word plural. Both of my car's are Honda's Bentley's.

Fixed it for you, Red. False modesty is so unbecoming. And btw - that hat looks fabulous on you!!

 

[jiminyC_fan]

My pet peeve is the grammar police that feel it necessary to point out mistakes.

 

[powellrj]

With autocorrect I just assume the person had it right when they wrote it and it was autocorrect that changed it.

 

[TCRAIG]

My pet peeve is the use of the word Mad instead of Angry. I had an English teacher who used to say ‘Dogs go mad, people get angry’.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

"My husband and I's".

and this one:

Could of, would of, should of.

 

[kaytieeldr]

These are probably open to debate with today's usage.
But, they really get me!!!!

Using 'about' instead of around. (The passengers were free to move about the cabin)
And, 'may' instead of might. He 'may' go to the concert, IMHO, means he has permission to go to the concert. He 'might' go to the concert means that he could go, or not go. Remember the childhood game Mother May I???

Don't forget can. He can go to the concert because there are no restrictions which prohibit him.

My pet peeve is the grammar police that feel it necessary to point out mistakes.

Rarely, at least in the DIS. Moderators are quick to call out, or penalize, offenders.

Thus, periodically someone gets so annoyed, they start a thread on this topic.
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I have several peeves, the first of which is the use of the word that signifies a horrible period of history last century, in reference to grammar critics.

Literally does not indicate what many users think it means.

Misuse of apostrophes and commas.

 

[Marchand63]

Done the death but —“irreguardless”. Please no!!!!

 

[ten6mom]

All of the above.

I didn't know the Oxford Comma was a no-no in APA format. I am taking an online Master's program and I haven't been dinged on it yet! (The school purports to require APA in its guidelines). I even have a shirt that says "Team Oxford Comma" and another that says "You can have my Oxford Comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, ink-stained fingers".

 

[RangerPooh]

Incorrect use of the following words:

• Their/there/they're
• Our/are
• To/two/too
• Where/were

Since moving to the south I've also noticed too many people use the word "axed" instead of "asked". It drives me up the wall. At one point I was teaching in a local inner city school and asked either the principal or the learning coach (for the school) advice on how to correct it and was told that I don't. It's part of the culture of the community. Frustrated me as I was not allowed to correct the students or their parents when they used the word incorrectly.

 

[Ariel484]

Apostrophes used to make a singular word plural. Both of my car's are Honda's.

This is for sure my #1 pet peeve. Like a PP said, it seems to be one of those things that people are doing more and more, and thus is becoming more and more acceptable.

Other ones:
"All of THE sudden"
"I resemble that remark"

 

[North of Mouse]

My pet peeve is the grammar police that feel it necessary to point out mistakes.

This!! Yes, I like, know and try to use correct English, but I don't feel the need of correcting others, or really getting perturbed about it. We've traveled around, lived, in several states and the locals have their own way of speaking, for the most part - including where I am from. We really have it - deep south! A lot of words end in 'R', including most that don't!! LOL

To the PP, "I resemble that remark" is almost always done 'tongue in cheek', not that the speaker doesn't know what they are doing!!

 

[Walt's Dream]

Double Negatives!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

There is a carnival that comes to town every June for 6 weeks. They hang the same banner year after year and it drives me INSANE!!!!

$12 BUCK TUESDAY.

What is 12 dollar buck Tuesday anyway?

 

[rlk]

Anyways.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Since moving to the south I've also noticed too many people use the word "axed" instead of "asked". It drives me up the wall. At one point I was teaching in a local inner city school and asked either the principal or the learning coach (for the school) advice on how to correct it and was told that I don't. It's part of the culture of the community. Frustrated me as I was not allowed to correct the students or their parents when they used the word incorrectly.

OMG, yes, that is like worse than nails on a blackboard!!!!!!
I do NOT want this to be taken the wrong way... Just a face-value... But, in my experience, this seems to be a black/african-american thing.

You mention being a teacher.
Did you happen to teach English/Language?
If you were actually teaching English/Language, I would have an issue with being told NOT to teach correct grammar/spelling/etc...
Any other subject... Yes - Just let it be!!!!!

 

[kimblebee]

This!! Yes, I like, know and try to use correct English, but I don't feel the need of correcting others, or really getting perturbed about it. We've traveled around, lived, in several states and the locals have their own way of speaking, for the most part - including where I am from. We really have it - deep south! A lot of words end in 'R', including most that don't!! LOL

To the PP, "I resemble that remark" is almost always done 'tongue in cheek', not that the speaker doesn't know what they are doing!!

I think there’s a difference between someone saying ‘anyways’ once and someone continually using should of/could of.

I don’t point out anyone’s grammar errors here, there’s no point, BUT, I do form opinions on people whose posts are almost unintelligible.

 

[RangerPooh]

OMG, yes, that is like worse than nails on a blackboard!!!!!!
I do NOT want this to be taken the wrong way... Just a face-value... But, in my experience, this seems to be a black/african-american thing.

You mention being a teacher.
Did you happen to teach English/Language?
If you were actually teaching English/Language, I would have an issue with being told NOT to teach correct grammar/spelling/etc...
Any other subject... Yes - Just let it be!!!!!

Yes and no. I started at a PK-5 science teacher in one district and then moved to teaching 4th grade ELA/social studies in another. The district was inner city, predominantly black, as were most of the staff. We weren't allowed to correct students because it could come off as culturally insensitive. I no longer work in the K-12 environment, but higher education and many staff members at the university speak like that too. I just shake my head.

 

[Colleen27]

All of the above.

I didn't know the Oxford Comma was a no-no in APA format. I am taking an online Master's program and I haven't been dinged on it yet! (The school purports to require APA in its guidelines). I even have a shirt that says "Team Oxford Comma" and another that says "You can have my Oxford Comma when you pry it from my cold, dead, ink-stained fingers".

It is AP (Associated Press - used by most news outlets, I majored in journalism), not APA, that has done away with the Oxford comma. I'm pretty sure most academic style guides like APA still require it.

 

[Klayfish]

This!! Yes, I like, know and try to use correct English, but I don't feel the need of correcting others, or really getting perturbed about it. We've traveled around, lived, in several states and the locals have their own way of speaking, for the most part - including where I am from. We really have it - deep south!

Yes. Moving from PA to GA was pretty interesting. It's kinda like a different language here, but whatever. I look at them funny sometimes and I'm sure they look at me like I have three heads when I speak. One other problem I have here is that I tend to speak fast, that's normal up north. Not so much down here...

 

[Colleen27]

Yes and no. I started at a PK-5 science teacher in one district and then moved to teaching 4th grade ELA/social studies in another. The district was inner city, predominantly black, as were most of the staff. We weren't allowed to correct students because it could come off as culturally insensitive. I no longer work in the K-12 environment, but higher education and many staff members at the university speak like that too. I just shake my head.

Did you encounter it in written English? I know quite a few teachers who don't correct the "axed" pronunciation of asked in verbal communication, and they tell me that students generally use and spell "asked" properly in written communication. So they treat the mispronunciation the way they would any other regional accent or speech impediment, rather than as a usage error. And accents aren't a teacher's business to try to "fix".