Grammar Pet Peeves

[AliceInWanderLost]

when people muddle up lend and borrow. like "can i get a lend of your pen?" instead of "could i borrow your pen?"

 

[Boobies]

Isn't that a regional thing though? Like you know how sometimes people with a strong Scottish accent will type exactly as they talk?

You'd think so but I've only ever seen it from scousers (I'm one too). Seems to be common in the youngsters and the wannabes.

 

[Django]

“As per” … “as” and “per” mean the same thing, so “as per” is redundant. It drives me up the wall that everyone at work uses “as per”.

That's an absolutely fine use of words

Definition of AS PER

in accordance with : according to… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

I'm not sure what your word - exteroize - means though?

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

that is UNASSEPTABLE!

Oh yes I forgot the UN ...doh. It was very funny that kid, hands on hips ..."It. Is. U-N-ACCEPT-ABLE not unasseptable!"

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

Quite funny when someone on a dating app tells you they want to duck you because predictive text has changed the word. Lol

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

A couple of words I remember that I don't feel are words or if they are, are too clunky.
One is "anxiousness" ... Surely it is just "I was full of anxiety". Also "comfortability" ... Isn't comfort or comfortable sufficient? Eg. "I think the settee was very comfortable" and not "The settee had comfortability". Comfortability is coming up on predictive text though.

 

[AliceInWanderLost]

"I seen" and "on accident" send me into a rage.

same with "i done"!

 

[Mamacita]

We used to be corrected at school if we used the term “due to” rather than “owing to”. Our English teacher used to say that the only things that are due are money and the bus.

Surely that's wrong

 

[AliceInWanderLost]

Don't think I've heard anyone say washbasin in my life sounds awfully posh

I've never heard anyone say "washbasin", but I've heard "basin" in the context of. bathroom, rather than sink.

 

[Wish_I_Weren't_Here]

Hey, I'm old and cranky. I'll join in.

I think the most common pet peeve I see is people who use quotation marks and then add the comma or period, leaving it floating. I never met a teacher who wasn't driven crazy by "floating punctuation."

This seems to be the biggest problem when using scare quotes. I know some might argue with me on this, and British quotations often leave punctuation floating. Too many Americans are ignorant though, not suddenly British.

Funnily enough, I tried to search for a few examples of improper quotation marks and only came up with this question:

I searched on the Internet what "floating punctuation" means but found absolutely nothing and when I enable it, I cannot see any changes through the text except for the number of pages.

But the funny part was the reply:

I've never heard of "floating punctuation", but I wonder whether it might mean "hanging punctuation".

I have to admit, I don't know if the original "floating punctuation" question had anything to do with what I mean, or if it was more of a programming issue. However, the reply having TWO EXAMPLES of incorrect quotations made me laugh.

When people seem really confused, I've even seen punctuation used before and after the quote: "What time is it?".


And finally, probably my biggest pet peeve right now, those who don't know the meaning of concerning. Language is constantly changing, yada, yada, yada, but that's my nails down a chalkboard moment.

I'd like for us to collectively slow down on the race to ignorance. On the other hand, I also wonder how many mistakes I made in just this one post. You live, you learn.

 

[Pawpaw365]

On the forum list , there is an Instagramer category. Shouldn't it be instagrammer? My phone kept auto- correcting this post.

Yea it should

 

[bubbadabut]

Noooo. Commas should be where you take a breath in a sentence. So if you said ‘she likes dogs, cats, hamsters and gerbils’. And then read it again with a comma after hamsters it reads totally differently!

Have to disagree For me, there's no ambiguity in that sentence at all. Most people would understand that you mean four different types of animals. The "and" is suffice, so no need for the Oxford comma.

 

[Pawpaw365]

A couple of words I remember that I don't feel are words or if they are, are too clunky.
One is "anxiousness" ... Surely it is just "I was full of anxiety". Also "comfortability" ... Isn't comfort or comfortable sufficient? Eg. "I think the settee was very comfortable" and not "The settee had comfortability". Comfortability is coming up on predictive text though.

I think anxiousness and anxiety are important, as anxiety is a condition where anxiousness is a natural feeling that we all experience. I agree though that it feels kinda clunky!

I’ve seen so much lately ‘I seen’

 

[FoxyBingo]

Also, people who litter their texts with needless exclamation marks, thereby lessening its impact. Or those who use it excessively, like this!!!!!!!!

Agreed, less is more!

 

[MaineCoonMama]

I’ve mentioned this before but apparently this has something to do with Afrikaans language?


This is total MySpace era haha. It was everywhere.

Really? One of my friends is South African, she speaks Afrikaans so I might ask her about it. I've never heard her say it though.

 

[emm]

I saw "more than lightly" today on a post on Mumsnet.

As in it was more than likely.

There is a podcast I listen to by two american women and they CONSTANTLY make mistakes like this, it is enfuriating!

 

[Loubywoobywoo]

I’ve thought of another one! People who use sink when they mean washbasin! A sink is where you do your washing up, in the kitchen, and a washbasin is where you wash your face, brush your teeth etc and is in a bathroom!

 

[dm2022]

Your / you’re
There / their / they’re
Where / were

But my biggest one

Random CaPiTAlisation. Not just the random letters, but also incorrect capitalisation of words.

These first ones ugh

See it on Twitter all the time

 

[emm]

"On Christmas" and "on the weekend".

I say "at Christmas" and "at the weekend".

Am I wrong? Am I unjustified in my loathing?

On Christmas technically means just the 25th of December I.e. Christmas day as opposed to the whole Xmas period and on the weekend is American English, it annoys me how it is becoming increasingly used in the UK

 

[Pawpaw365]

Not exactly grammar but…DOMANOSE

AS. IF!!!