Grammar Pet Peeves

[sheleg]

Has anyone else noticed that a lot of Australians don't know how to use apostrophes? I wonder if they just don't get taught the finer points of apostrophisation down there.

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

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’

I seen what you mean

I still think anxiety fits both situations. "I had/have anxiousness" "I had/have anxiety. Argh. I just don't like the word.

 

[Pawpaw365]

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.

Never heard of this expression before so I looked up both, and it said hanging punctuation is when the punctuation is outside the line of text?! Which apparently often happens when text is justified.

My understanding with punctuation and speech marks is that if it’s to punctuate the flow of the whole sentence it goes outside of the speech marks; if it pertains just to the quoted part, it goes inside. Explains it pretty well here: https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/does-punctuation-go-inside-or-outside-quotation-marks/

 

[Milktray]

Just bumping this up again! It’s still one of the funniest posts I’ve ever read. I commented on it a while ago.

Thank you! I aim to please! I still laugh about it now.

Fortunately, I've never had to speak to her again!

 

[Purrrrrrr]

People who consistently spell someone's name wrong, even when they've known them for years, or when the name is right there in front of them on an email or social media. I'm thinking Micheal/Michael, Jane/Jayne, Jackie/Jacqui, etc.

I would not mix up Jane/Jayne, Jackie/Jacqui but Micheal/Michael look to me to be the same. I only know they are not because you have used it as an example. I normally have to C&P names

 

[Mollywobbles]

A lot of people round here use “of cause” instead of “of course”

 

[Pawpaw365]

I seen what you mean

I still think anxiety fits both situations. "I had/have anxiousness" "I had/have anxiety. Argh. I just don't like the word.

I suppose you could say ‘she was in a state of anxiousness’ might make more sense than ‘she was in a state of anxiety?’ Who knows haha

 

[Instagram Sham]

I still don’t understand apostrophes (and I’m in my mid 30’s)

Someone please teach me….. ?

 

[Wolfshead]

Blame America.

 

[Al Fresco]

Male person is a fiancé, woman is a fiancée, if that helps.

This reminds me of that annoying Mike Bushell talking to Charlie Stayt on BBC Breakfast and referring to someone having a fiancé which he pronounced as FY ANSE. Charlie Stayt couldn’t believe it. How can you be journalist and to have got to that age where you don’t know how to pronounce that? Can’t stand that show.

 

[Rosie34567-2]

People mixing up "whenever" and "when."

 

[TheGlossy]

“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”.

 

[Happy Lady]

“I work remote”

No. It’s “I work remotely,” “I am working remotely today,” or “I’m doing remote work.”

Oh @Rosie34567-2

We were taught never to use the words DOING or DO.

We can therefore amend your last suggestion to read, "I'm carrying out remote work", or "I'm undertaking remote work"

 

[colouredlines]

...as does pants for trousers, said by an Irish colleague!

Pants is common in Hiberno-English. It's not an Americanism.

The same goes for "bring" vs "take", which a previous poster claimed was an Americanism.

My biggest grammar pet peeve is people assuming that every piece of dialect that they don't use is an Americanism.

 

[TooFarScone]

When people say indiscrepancy

 

[Django]

Perhaps, but I’m pretty sure I was told all throughout law school not to use “as per”.

Any answer to the second part of my question?

 

[no-no]

When people use squash instead of quash.

 

[varyingborders]

Apologise if this has been mentioned before but people mixing up generally and genuinely annoy me a little too much

 

[Loubywoobywoo]

I just heard 'I runned'
It made me laugh so I RAN here to tell you all!

I have also heard « she grinded out the last pieces of work she had to do in order to graduate », um, no, that would be « ground out »!
In US English, I have seen « The sun/light shined through the window ». Again, no, that would be shone, the only things that can be shined are shoes!

 

[IridescentLipstick]

Does she have dentures? A lady I know does the same and has them.
[/QUOTE]

No, definitely no dentures. Just a faux-posh lady who wants to remind everyone that she's from an affluent area by adopting a plummy accent