Grammar Pet Peeves

[bubbadabut]

Many years ago when I was at Secretarial College, we were taught never to use the words: get, got, getting, do or doing. Ever since I've hated seeing those words. For instance:

I got a new coat - could become, I bought a new coat.

When I was doing the housework I got the polish out - could become, I used the polish while completing the housework.

At my primary school in the 80s, they actively encouraged us to avoid using "nice" to describe something. Even when writing it now, I still wonder if there's a better word I could use.

I think "amazing" is this generation's "nice". I always feel aware of how much it is used, and usually try to pick an alternative.

 

[Lazarus]

Work colleagues.
By definition a colleague is someone you work with, it doesn’t require the ‘work’ preface.
Also; the way some people in Liverpool say ‘I’m goin the Asda’ my skin is itching at the thought of it.

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

Just saw this on Mumsnet. "When he ended the relationship I was completely flawed."

 

[LittleMy]

People who merge words that don’t work together as one.

Ex. “noone” instead of “no one”.

 

[Django]

 

[Loubywoobywoo]

One pet peeve I'm seeing creeping in is a lot of lax Americanisms of word usage or sentence structure. In the capacity I work, communication and English skills are pretty key, so it's becoming a bit of a mare seeing many of my colleagues, who should know better, lapsing into these.

Some of the top ones:

1. Confusing 'bring' and 'take'
2. Confusing 'come' and 'go'
3. Saying 'amends' instead of 'amendments' — this is my favourite one because we get many people constantly 'making amends' with text documents in some ongoing, obviously tumultuous relationship
4. Similarly, saying the likes of 'disconnect' and 'intent' to avoid that extra syllable of '-ion'

I get annoyed by Americanisms creeping in everywhere! My phone keeps correcting ill to I’ll. No, I won’t write « sick », as if I say I have been sick, that means I vomited, not that I was poorly/unwell.
Also nail polish instead of nail varnish annoys me no end, as does pants for trousers, said by an Irish colleague!
It annoys me that Brits make the effort to learn the US word ( elevator, trunk, pants…) but if you say lift, car boot and trousers in the US, you are met with blank stares. It just does my head in!

 

[AliceInWanderLost]

I’ve noticed a lot of ‘prolly’ instead of probably online, which makes my eye twitch. The other thing I can’t abide are the adoption of American phrases- ‘I could care less’ or ‘I did it on accident’. They get on my pip!

i hear "i could care less" constantly and it makes me want to scratch out my eyes. how can you not understand that it doesn't make sense in the context of saying you don't care?! ARGH.

 

[Becclo44]

I’m certainly no grammar queen myself, but seen - why do I keep seeing people say ‘I seen this’ or ‘I seen this in the shop’. What?! Do people actually say that? It makes no sense. It’s so annoying and I keep seeing it everywhere!

 

[YetAnotherObsessionx]

A new one I've spotted while trying to avoid all the Black Friday ads is people typing palate or pallet when they mean palette.

As in 'I've just been gifted this AMAZING eyeshadow pallet' makes me wonder just how much eyeshadow a person can possibly need...

 

[Rodneytrotter]

Where I used to work people would mix up was/ were. As an example they might say 'you was very good today'. These people were teachers and teaching assistants.

 

[Happy Lady]

Similarly, I hate when people say "I'll write you!" - it's "I'll write TOO you", ffs!

Erm ... Sorry but it's "I'll write TO you".

The word TOO means "and" or "also".

 

[AliceInWanderLost]

Erm ... Sorry but it's "I'll write TO you".

The word TOO means "and" or "also".

argh! the worst thing is that i very much know the difference between to and too. the shame!

 

[Melian]

Text speak. There's no limit (ok, there might be; but it's huge) on characters on Facebook and forums.

 

[Django]

I work in the education sector and today a colleague wrote to me using "your" instead of "you're"

It's really sad when educators can't get it right, the children they are teaching don't stand a hope
This is from the website of a school that one of my daughters was looking at for her son.

 

[Milktray]

A posh lady I know pronounces a sharp T sound like SH- whash was thash?

Oh my God, this just made me remember a time when a 'posh lady' called our office (I worked in travel).
She says, 'Oh hello, I'm running late because I'm stuck in Splarshen Darsh.

Cue me, wondering where the hell Splarshen Darsh is.

I responded with 'Can I take your booking reference?'
'No, I've not made a booking'
'Ok, we'll make one now for you'
'I don't need a booking. I'm in my car'
'Ok...erm...'
She proceeded to tell me that she worked in our Head Office (down South) and was visiting our office (up North) but was stuck in Splarshen Darsh.

I said that I'll pass the message on. So informed my big boss, who looks at me and says 'Where the hell is Splarshen Darsh?' Thinking she was coming via Germany (in her car!! )
Google gets involved. Everyone around gets involved.

10 minutes later she arrives.
We discovered that Splarshen Darsh was actually Splash and Dash and she was getting her car washed.

Oh the embarrassment!

 

[MaineCoonMama]

Lack of punctuation is a big one for me. These are the same people likely to go on a Facebook rant without using one comma, and to me it feels like they are running out of breath!

I think I don't breathe when I read that shit, that's why I get so annoyed, ha.

 

[watermelon sugar]

Things don’t really bother me tbh, what’s worse is when you’re reading a good Facebook argument and someone’s comeback is correcting them by saying ‘you’re*’ like oh God, you’re original

On tattle when you get a looooooong post with barely any full stops or commas. Like……

 

[Pawpaw365]

Spelling. I appreciate stupid spellcheck/text can automatically enter the wrong spelling/or homophones but when a person misspells the word in texts and I've even told them and they still continue to misspell it makes me mad, just correct your word history in your phone.

Omg how do you even tell them. I have a friend that constantly gets your/you’re to/too wrong. It grates me so bad - how do you even tell them without being a bitch

I mean obviously there are people who will struggle with their grammar, spellings etc for various reasons, and that’s understandable. My gripe is with the people who know better but are just being lazy.

Well even more infuriating when autocorrect does a lot of it for you.

People who merge words that don’t work together as one.

Ex. “noone” instead of “no one”.

Thankyou

 

[Pawpaw365]

When people use more than three dots in an ellipsis. Gets me all twitchy

How come........

 

[Fledgling Psycho]

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

As in it was more than likely.