I don't know why it is that poor grammar bothers me so much. I KNOW that mine isn't perfect. I'm sure I've put together some double negatives or misspelled stuff before, but that doesn't stop other people's grammatical errors from grating on me like nails on a blackboard.
So rather than try to understand why, I'll just release all the pent up grammatical tension.
Now I am not talking about internet chat short cuts like: "u", "y?" "ppl", "r", etc.
(i.e., "y r u ppl here?")
I am talking about 6th grade education stuff like:
too/two/to:Those two (number) people want to go, too(also).
their/they're/there:
They're (they are) going to take their (ownership) kids there (destination). The destination 'there' looks like 'here' without the 't', as opposed to 'hear', which is something you do with your 'ear'.
it's/its:I see this one a LOT (and since I just went there, "a lot" is TWO WORDS, not "alot"). It's is the contraction for "it is". It is not used to show possession like "Mary's dog". It's my toy [It is my toy]. That town has its own museum. If you can't turn it into "it is", don't use the apostrophe.
Falling under this category is:
who's/whose:If you can't change "who's" to "who is", you use "whose".
Whose dog is that? Who's coming to pick up the dog?
For that matter, the incorrect use of an apostrophe irks me. You use an apostrophe for ownership, not for making something plural. Those books aren't mine. They're Mary's.
Your/you're:You're going to have to fix your car. You're is the contraction of "you are".
Again, if you can't change "You're" to "you are", it's not supposed to be used!
The word
OF instead of
HAVE.
Should have, could have, would have.
The error comes from the contractions: should've, would've, could've.
I should have turned in my movies sooner.
and
Our/Are:Those are the ones. NOT - He's borrowing are car.
Ask/Axe:Ask is to inquire with a question.
Axe is a tool to cut with, like a hatchet.
No/know:
I
know no one. I don't
know if that's right.
advice/advise:Advise is a verb,
advice is a noun. You
advise someone - they receive your
advice.
ensure/insure:Insure is ONLY for insurance - I'm going to insure my car. Will you insure me?
Ensure is the same as "make sure": Ensure you fill out all of the paperwork.
effect/affect:Affect is a verb, effect is a noun. That noise does not affect me. What is the
effect of the noise?
accept/except:
You
accept a gift.
Except is excluding something. Everything except the kitchen sink. I would do it, except I'm busy.
loose/lose:
Loose is ONLY for something that is not tight. You do not loose a game. You
lose it. You do not loose your keys. Your noose is
loose, however, is correct.
moot/mute:
It's a
moot point. The TV is
mute.
than/then:
Than is comparative - more
than, better than, less than, higher than, etc.
Then (rhyme's with when) is a point in time. After we did that, then we went there.
collage/college:Unbelievably, I've seen COLLEGE STUDENTS spell college "collage"!!! The horror. A
collage is a compilation of various items in a creative format.
College is HIGHER EDUCATION.
desert/dessert:The rule is
desert has one 's' for sand.
Dessert has two 's' for strawberry shortcake.
super/supper:One p for "just super" as in "just
perfect". Two p's for "we are having
pepperoni
pizza for supper".
stationary/stationery:Stationery (writing paper) has an 'e' for envelope.
Stationary (doesn't move) has 'a' for affixed.
And then the list of words that are constantly spelled wrong:
Wala or walla or wallah???? It's "
voila" as in a magicians pronouncement at the end of a trick. Orderves is
hors d'oeuvres. The finger snacks before or instead of a meal.
dialated is
dilated; congradulations is
congratulations; priviledge is
privilege;
definately (
definitely), triathalon/pentathalon (
triathlon/pentathlon);
click when it's supposed to be
clique (a usually snooty group of people); expresso (
espresso); sike (
psyche); irregardless and unthaw(they are
not words!) it's just "
regardless"or "
thaw"(un-thaw=un-mealt=FROZEN!); ball instead of
bawl (that movie made me ball my eyes out); pacifically - Pacific is an ocean, "
specifically"to identify in detail; upmost (
utmost); and for all intensive purposes is for
all intents and purposes.Well, that feels good. I'm sure I'll add to it if more bother me that bad (not badly). I'm sure I'll get called nerdy because it bugs me. But that's OK. It's MY blog! It'll still bug me!
