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Hey Pandas, What Are Your Biggest Grammar Pet Peeves?
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My biggest grammar pet peeve is when people neglect the Oxford comma. It's logical, improves the flow, and adds clarity.
I'm surprised how many people get mixed up when using the phrase "let alone". You're supposed to say the more general thing first, then the more specific thing (ex. "people shouldn't keep wild animals as pets, let alone lions" NOT "people shouldn't keep lions at pets, let alone wild animals")
I absolutely hate when people say, “I could care less” instead of “I couldn’t care less” That completely defeats the point of the phrase! Saying “I could care less” implies that you do care at least a little. I try not to be bothered with other people’s grammar, but this one gets me.
When people say "Do you mind" and everyone answers "yes" as in I don't mind but really you have to say no I don't mind and if you say yes as in I mind people misunderstand.
Not exactly grammar, but most finnish people handwrite Ä and Ö with with a long horizontal line instead of two dots, so as Ā and Ō. This is super annoying as Ā and Ō are completely differemt from Ä and Ö
Actually, when I was at school learning writing, we were taught to write all letters together (kaunokirjoitus, calligraphy?) and part of it is that the dots in “a with dots” and “o with dots” are marked with this symbol: ~ :and therefore it is legitimate way of writing. So there you go and now you know.
Using "are" instead of "is" with a collective noun such as the name of an organization or group. It started on Wikipedia and then began popping up everywhere.
-Lowercase i instead of I for example, i went to the store.
-Weird slang. "You was there" "Me said hi" "I wuz lyk wuts dat, wut da heck" etc.
-Your and You're
-When Things Are Typed Like This All The Time Like It Isn't A Movie Title Chill.
-ThIs LoWkEy HuRtS aS wElL
The ones I make :(
But I really hate it when people don't use comma's in writing. I go on fan fiction sites a lot and sometimes, I just can't. Its impossible to read.
“Commas” not “comma’s” but “it’s” not “its.” The first is simply plural, so an apostrophe isn’t used, and the second is a contraction of “it is” so an apostrophe is necessary. You’re welcome. 😄
Double negatives. "I don't know nothing!"
So you know something? That's what you're saying...
Saying bring instead of take IE: "Can you bring me to the hospital" no it's "Can you take me to the hospital". Drives me up the wall.
Just spelling in general. You've been reading and writing since you were a baby/toddler, surely you can figure out how to spell giraffe. (True story)
Guy meant to type "descent," but he spelled "decent."
I commented, "that's a decent descent" about his photo. He thanked me.
Woooossshhh! Right over his punkin' head.
What I really don’t like it when people just type k
Instead of ok it’s one more letter how much trouble could it be!
Kk is even worse. It’s not even saving you a letter. How hard is it to type ok?
Misuse of apostrophes:
- Using them for plurals, as in "My dog had puppy's." It's "puppies"!
-Not using them for possessives, as in "my friends mom".
-Mistaking "it's" (which means "it is" or "it has") and "its" (meaning "belonging to it"). "It's time for the dog to eat its food" is correct. The other way around is not.
1. Double negatives are a no-no.
2. I don't like redundancies of repetition.
3. I'm driven up the wall by people by whom the passive voice is used!
when people mix you’re and your. for example if they say “your kidding, right?”
I know it can be a typing quirk but it really stresses me out when people replace the "s" with a "z".
Also when they type "u" instead of "you". It makes it difficult to read!!
When people use one word when they mean another word- like saying defiantly instead of definitely or barley instead of barely.
“To” instead of “too” as in I am to tired. I took to much. You drive too fast. Argh!
And then the autocorrect corrected the last “to” to “too”. Argh!
Misplacing adverbs, especially "only." An adverb directly modifies the word that comes right after it. For example, if you say "I only have one pen," "only" modifies "have," not "pen." You only have one pen? You don't own one pen, you don't possess one pen - you only have it?
"I graduated high school in 1967." The school does the graduating. "I was graduated from high school in 1967." Pet peeve. I've given up trying to correct people.
Most of these are spelling errors, not grammatical ones, the others are mostly fake rules the person made up like the “only” rule and not understanding that the passive voice is a perfectly cromulant English tool, also they don’t seem to know what it is. The other part is getting mad at people for speaking non standard dialects, that’s kind of classist. Overall what you’d expect from wannabe prescriptivists.
I have a few. Saying have went or I seen. Correct: I went or I have gone. I saw or I have seen. Messing up then and than. Correct: Do this first, then do that next. I'd rather do this than do that. Saying simULar rather than similar. Of course their, there, and they're and your and you're. Correct: This is their house. They live there. They're going to live here. This is your house. You're going to live here. They're and you're are short for they are and you are. Then there's confusing access and axis. This one, for me, is a pronunciation problem I've heard lately. It's the earth's axis, not access. To and too. Correct: I did that too, meaning also. Or it's too hot, too cold, too dry, too many, too much, too soon, etc. Effect vs affect. For example, effects can be put on a singers voice thst will affect how they sound. Maybe these examples will help someone.
Most of these are spelling errors, not grammatical ones, the others are mostly fake rules the person made up like the “only” rule and not understanding that the passive voice is a perfectly cromulant English tool, also they don’t seem to know what it is. The other part is getting mad at people for speaking non standard dialects, that’s kind of classist. Overall what you’d expect from wannabe prescriptivists.
I have a few. Saying have went or I seen. Correct: I went or I have gone. I saw or I have seen. Messing up then and than. Correct: Do this first, then do that next. I'd rather do this than do that. Saying simULar rather than similar. Of course their, there, and they're and your and you're. Correct: This is their house. They live there. They're going to live here. This is your house. You're going to live here. They're and you're are short for they are and you are. Then there's confusing access and axis. This one, for me, is a pronunciation problem I've heard lately. It's the earth's axis, not access. To and too. Correct: I did that too, meaning also. Or it's too hot, too cold, too dry, too many, too much, too soon, etc. Effect vs affect. For example, effects can be put on a singers voice thst will affect how they sound. Maybe these examples will help someone.