Does bad grammar make you [sic]?
I thought it was just me, but I tossed out a query the other day and am now awash in validation.
“I think most people believe respect for proper spelling, grammar and punctuation is a thing of the past, largely because of the shorthand way we communicate today,” said Atlanta copywriter Susan Hawkins, who charmingly noted that she proof-read her e-mail four times before sending it to me.
Jeff Siegel of Monarch Communications was succinct: “I gnash my teeth and cringe when I see blatant disregard for basic grammar.”
Atlanta travel agent Ann Lombardi remembers major grammatical errors would get a paper docked 30 points in composition class at Immaculate Heart of Mary School. Would that we had all labored under the tutelage of Sister Grace Maria.
“ Writers (even ones from the AJC!), network news reporters, celebrity talk show hosts, and others have been guilty of glaring grammar gaffes,” Lombardi was sad to report.
Mercy.
Jim Wallace was good enough to write in from Braselton, which turns out to be the “World headquarters of SPELL, the Society for the Preservation of English Language and Literature.”
Oh, do tell.
“Our mission is to fight for the preservation of correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation in both formal and informal English, and to oppose the bad effects of all those pressures in our society that foster bad grammar and usage,” said Wallace, whose organization gently prods the incorrect into the paths of righteousness by sending “Goof Cards.”
“We wrote President Bush SIX TIMES trying to get him to pronounce ‘nuclear’ correctly, and we sent copies to his speechwriters and speaking coach, all to no avail and all without acknowledgment of receipt,” Wallace said.
Ah, well.
With many of us getting our resumes together these days, it’s probably a good idea to brush up on proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. I heard of one guy who was interviewing for a job he ultimately did not get. He contacted the firm after he landed elsewhere, to ask why. Turns out the misspellings sprinkled throughout his e-mails did not impress the potential new employers much.
“When folks can’t spell correctly or use proper grammar, they lose credibility with us,” said former Robb Report editor Debbi Karpowicz Kickham, who with husband Bill Kickham now works as travel editor for Luxury Travel Magazine.
Hawkins, the copywriter, said sloppy punctuation once sank a candidate she interviewed.
“I once received a resume from someone who used the ampersand (&) instead of the word ‘and’ throughout his resume,” she said. “Needless to say, he didn’t get the job.”
SB’s willing to overlook typos and has no problem with colloquial language. I can even abide ain’t and “fixin to.”
What drives me to distraction is the errant apostrophe. My favorite professor in college, the elegant, ebullient and eloquent Chuck Stone used to say his pet peeve was the incorrect use of “it’s.” (It’s not hard to keep it’s in its proper place, you know.)
SB loves Chuck Stone for lots of reasons, including his impeccable grammar.
And although it’s not a grammar issue, I really hate it when people don’t know what words mean. I have one friend who thinks “vacuous” means “big.” I’ve heard her talk about someone’s “vacuous kitchen” or “vacuous living room.” I am wondering whether to speak up.
Publicist Laura Scholz proposed an effective, if exacting idea: “My solution is to surround myself with people who share my reverence for the English language.”
A number of folks suggested subtle action.
“Depending on the situation, sometimes it is appropriate to correct the grammar offenders.” said Alexis Collado, publicity manager for Parade magazine. “In many cases, they might be thankful that they don’t continue to repeat the same errors in the future. As long as you’re not obnoxious about it or embarrass people in front of others, you could actually help them.”
By the way we have Alexis to thank for our blog’s headline.
“I actually own a t-shirt that says ‘bad grammar makes me [sic],” she said. “Only a few people actually get it.”
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105 comments Add your comment
Grant Parker
March 23rd, 2009
2:23 pm
I just cringe when people improperly use the word “your” instead of “you’re.” For example, it is WRONG to write, “Your going to be the target of a layoff.” It should read, “You’re going to be the target of a layoff.”
I also claw at my eyes when folks employ apostrophes in all manner of awful ways. For example, suppose Ma and Pa Parker came to visit, and brought along their two little boys. You can bet someone would write, “The Parker’s visited last night.” Oh! Oh! Ohhhhh! Honey, hand me the fork! It’s eye-gouging time!
I
Andrea S.
March 23rd, 2009
3:51 pm
Here’s a funny website devoted to the use of unnecessary quotation marks, which are as bad and as ubiquitous as incorrectly used apostrophes.
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
Paula Werne, Holiday World PR
March 23rd, 2009
4:13 pm
Back in high school, as many of us headed off to college, I was told repeatedly by friends that they didn’t intend to write to me.
“I just know you’ll return my letters, all marked up with your red pen.”
Oh my. I didn’t realize my attempt to rid the world (or at least my high school) of the evils of poor grammar, spelling and punctuation had hit such a nerve.
Over the years, I’ve found ways to continue my quest.
When I offered to proof the weekly newsletter sent home from my sons’ grammar school (ahem! GRAMMAR school), the response was … well, there never was a response. The errors continue.
I’ve learned over the years to be careful about public corrections. But recently, when a television reporter was recording a “stand up” report that was faulty in subject-verb agreement, I just had to pull her aside. She expressed gratitude, but one never knows.
I once emailed Carl Kasell at NPR after he mispronounced “complex” when it was used as an adjective. He was gracious and swift with his response.
And so we must carry on with gentle corrections, one apostrophe at a time.
Paula Werne
http://holidayworld.com
Martha Barnette
March 23rd, 2009
6:05 pm
I agree that it’s important to “dress one’s language for success,” but correcting other folks’ grammar in public is another matter entirely. As we note on our public-radio show, “A Way with Words,” it’s sort of the grammatical equivalent of telling someone he has spinach between his teeth. Some will appreciate it, and others will be mortified, and by piping up, you might do yourself more harm than good. We also subscribe to McKean’s Law: “Any correction of the speech or writing of others will contain at least one grammatical, spelling, or typographical error.” I’ve seen that happen many a time. I can’t tell you the number of emails I’ve seen from the Gotcha Gang titled “Grammer mistake!”
If you’re following this thread, you’ll probably enjoy “A Way with Words.” You can listen here:
http://www.waywordradio.org
Geri Koeppel
March 23rd, 2009
6:08 pm
I’m surprised the book “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” by Lynne Truss hasn’t come up yet. It’s a classic along these lines of thinking.
Jimmy
March 23rd, 2009
6:10 pm
In one of the cartoons included herein, a woman says, “I tried to overlook his careless with semicolons but it was when he started misplacing his apostrophes that I knew it was over.”
Triple irony, here: The woman uses the word “careless” carelessly, since she obviously means “carelessness.” Said carelessness occurs in a cartoon lampooning poor grammar. And said cartoon is placed in a blog post about, you guessed it, poor grammar.
You don’t have enough Windex for your enormous, hypocritical glass house.
Kathleen Dillon
March 23rd, 2009
6:13 pm
I correct all children & most family members (whoops! shouldn’t use an ampersand) and they’re grateful for it. The improper use of “bring” and “take” drives me wild – we don’t get “bring-out” food, do we? Lately the N.Y. Times has fallen into that as well as being incredibly sloppy about agreement of subject and verb.
Dawn
March 23rd, 2009
6:14 pm
As an English major and communications specialist, I live and die by the written word. I highly recommend the book Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It has a whole chapter devoted to the Oxford comma; it’s a grammarian’s dream book.
Katherine D.
March 23rd, 2009
6:33 pm
meanwhile, the article itself has a grammatical error/typo (”the the”). christ.
Jennifer
March 23rd, 2009
6:42 pm
Grammar is important, but we should not dismiss ideas. Let’s face it, not all writers are created equal. Some are more technical and other are more creative. The creative mind can be more imaginative, but be more prone to errors, where the technical mind can be less creative and thoughtful.
Personally, I don’t have too much respect for all those fuddy duddies who get irritated about grammar. There is a lot more to life and writing then a gramatically correct sentence. There are ideas.
Russell Cross
March 23rd, 2009
7:08 pm
I agree with the general notion that the constant correction of errors is unnecessary and possibly counterproductive, but that’s not license to simply toss words together in a string that pretends to be a sentence. Jennifer’s comment about “ideas” being important is well taken, but so many “ideas” fail to come to fruition because of poor writing and someone’s limited ability to explain themselves. The pedagogic culture that purports to “focus on ideas” and “encourage creativity” has lead to a general decline in the ability of even college students having to take remedial English in order to attend classes!
Balance in all things is good. I’ve no desire to beat folks over the head with a hardback copy of “Strunk and White” but I would at least remind repeat offenders that anyone with an internet connection can access the Merriam-Webster dictionary for free.
Dee Stewart
March 23rd, 2009
8:40 pm
Jennifer, great article.
Atlanta Private Investigator
March 23rd, 2009
9:02 pm
I’m amazed how many people seem to have forgotten basic English. Great article. Thank you for sharing.
htttp://www.georgiaprivatedetective.com
Paula
March 23rd, 2009
11:55 pm
Russell, I agree with you, but check your third sentence. “The past tense of “lead” is “led.”
Paula
March 23rd, 2009
11:56 pm
Oh, shoot! And I have an extra open quote mark in my last sentence. Mea culpa!
Vinnie
March 24th, 2009
12:29 am
Also, Jennifer’s comment requires a “than,” not a “then.” Unless she was trying to be ironic, that is.
Bill Orkoskey
March 24th, 2009
8:49 am
I had a hard time getting to your blog because you had a ” at the end of the URL. When I clicked on the link, it said that your blog didn’t have anything in it. I finally copied and pasted the address in the browser address, erased the ” and it works. Amazing what an errant quotation mark can do.
Jennifer Brett
March 24th, 2009
8:52 am
Zounds! The problem’s even worse than I feared!
BothWays
March 24th, 2009
9:02 am
Given your interest in presidential grammar I’m sure you have written Mr. Obama about his use of the word “sup” (it’s short for “what’s up” – which is slang for “how are you” or “what are you doing”). It’s truly embarrassing to America! Has he written back? Did he acknowledge receipt? Or just blow you off like Bush?
ESR
March 24th, 2009
9:03 am
What rubs me in regards to this story is how almost an entire race of people who attended the same schools, were taught by same teachers and were given the same assignments in class with the same goals and objectives in mind seem to get a pass when it comes to grammar. Using the proper grammar is not cultural folks, not in 2009! We should not point out that someone is ‘articulate’ because they’re of a particualr race and they speak the Kings English in it’s proper form.
Chris Broe
March 24th, 2009
9:16 am
I’ll tell you what I hate: fat chicks who split infinitives. Like the voice over to the original Star Trek, “to boldly go”.
Phasers on stun, (wide beam).
debbie
March 24th, 2009
9:24 am
Which is correct — y’all or ya’ll?
Debby
March 24th, 2009
9:26 am
I totally agree with ESR. I’m much more forgiving when it comes to the written word, although to use loose when lose is the proper word simply drives me up a wall.
It’s the hideously incorrect use of words when speaking that bothers me most. Often it’s apparent that the speaker fully intends to impress, with words such as conversate etc.
Ms. Tified
March 24th, 2009
9:28 am
Debbie – I thinks thats for uz Gawgins onlee.
Sug
March 24th, 2009
9:29 am
Yes it drives me crazy when people use bad grammer. Especially in written form.
The black folk have absolutely no regard for proper english. Ebonics ruined us…..go over to Misadventures in Atlanta. You need an interpreter to understand what they are writing!!!
kris
March 24th, 2009
9:44 am
I’m in complete agreement with Debby – folks who use “loose” rather than “lose” drive me nuts! Also, “conversate” and “orientate” are not words,
people!
Brighid
March 24th, 2009
9:45 am
I always hope for good grammar, spelling and punctuation; it’s easier to understand ideas when they are stated well. But business communication severely degraded the language, and the advent of emails and text messaging has nearly destroyed any regard anyone ever had for the written word.
My pet peeve at the moment? “Lead” in place of “led.”
Kris
March 24th, 2009
9:50 am
By the way, Debbie, “y’all” is correct.
FredM
March 24th, 2009
10:02 am
How about the way too common incorrect use, especially in the south, of the word drug in place of dragged? One can’t have (often compounded with the also incorrect “can’t of”) drug the the heavy trashcan to the curb, not even if heavily sedated.
Earl Vaughn
March 24th, 2009
10:03 am
“John, or Nadine, or whoever, is needed to receiving.”
If you’re a real grammarphobe, you’ve heard this one on the loudspeaker in your local Wal-Mart store.
I’ve heard it in states other than Georgia. Someone in the upper levels of Wal-Mart management is apparently conspiring to destroy the English language as we know it. This has been going on for many years and it’s inconceivable that no one has corrected this flagrant error.
I wish that some of the dinosaurs who are complaining about having to tolerate the Spanish language in our culture would take the time to properly learn English.
Charlotte
March 24th, 2009
10:03 am
Could we write the King’s English in its proper form, complete with correct punctuation? Possessive nouns use apostrophes; no possessive pronoun ever uses an apostrophe. It’s a simple lesson to keep contractions distinct from possessives, but so many don’t do it.
Andy
March 24th, 2009
10:11 am
Alexis is guilty of the most annoying fad today: overuse of the word “actually.” Additionally, she doesn’t use it appropriately.
kalalu
March 24th, 2009
10:13 am
That last cartoon is incorrect as well. It says ‘his careless with’. I think it should say ‘his carelessness with’.
Bob
March 24th, 2009
10:14 am
In case you are wondering what Andy meant:
“Depending on the situation, sometimes it is appropriate to correct the grammar offenders.” said Alexis Collado, publicity manager for Parade magazine. “In many cases, they might be thankful that they don’t continue to repeat the same errors in the future. As long as you’re not obnoxious about it or embarrass people in front of others, you could ACTUALLY help them.”
By the way we have Alexis to thank for our blog’s headline.
“I ACTUALLY own a t-shirt that says ‘bad grammar makes me [sic],” she said. “Only a few people ACTUALLY get it.” 5% of her words are actually.
kalalu
March 24th, 2009
10:14 am
yeah, it’s “y’all”. You put the apostrophe where the missing letters would be.
Beth Dunn
March 24th, 2009
10:15 am
I think it is cute when people write the way they speak–and use some nick names etc. But I believe speaking properly is more important. And manners in general are being lost.
benson
March 24th, 2009
10:15 am
Again, on the subject of presidential grammar, my ears withered when I heard Obama speak something about all the gifts given to “Michelle and I.” The NY Times had an op-ed about his objective pronoun problem. Maybe his daughters will read that and help dad out.
machell
March 24th, 2009
10:19 am
Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, what about there, their and they’re? That really gets under my skin. The other thing that really bothers me is seeing wealthy people in the public eye, those with websites and those with reality shows using bad grammar?
And they want to furlough teachers?
Will
March 24th, 2009
10:20 am
Not only does bad grammar, bad spelling, and failure to use capital letters bother me, but so does quotation marks. I check this blog regularly for the snarky comments when I want a good laugh.
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com/
Will
March 24th, 2009
10:21 am
Opps…that should have been “so do quotation marks”. Bad Will!
Miffed
March 24th, 2009
10:28 am
I’m still upset that “irregardless” has officially been accepted as a word.
mamaj
March 24th, 2009
10:31 am
It didn’t take long for you good White people to interject race into this blog, as in most others. Blame it all on the Black race, because everything they do is wrong. Amazing as it may seem, there are plenty of Black people who are quite capable of speaking correct English. I may also point out that you could take any backwoods, hick town in South Georgia that is populated mostly by rural White people, and their use of the English language turns my brown ears quite blue. So, stop encompassing an entire race of people as the only ones with the problem, because as in just about any subject matter, the finger can usually be pointed in the other direction as well!
Erin
March 24th, 2009
10:37 am
The phrase “fixing to” makes me completely insane. It’s bad enough when you hear it, worse when you see it written.
BA
March 24th, 2009
10:37 am
Whom is an object; can we please learn how to use it?!?
Educated
March 24th, 2009
10:41 am
With ebonics and other unacceptable “languages”, it’s hard to understand anyone these days. Do not come into my place of business and expect me to hire you if you cannot compose a grammatically correct sentence.
Learn to Write
March 24th, 2009
10:44 am
One thing that drives me NUTS (in written text) is the use of “should of”, “could of”, etc. It’s should HAVE, could HAVE or the contractions of them…should’ve, could’ve, etc. When speaking, there is no such word as “conversate”. It’s “converse”. You make yourself look stupid when you speak like that. And it is not “axe”…it’s ASK. Jewelry is NOT “jury”. It’s CHILDREN, not “chirren”. I could go on all day.
thatsme
March 24th, 2009
10:45 am
Yes, incorrect verb conjugation and misspelled words are some of my biggest pet peeves. To Sug, the British have said the same thing about Americans. As for the President, I guess, he can’t win (and no, I don’t expect him to be the exception). First he’s criticized for speaking too properly, so now his every word is scrutinized.
Michelle
March 24th, 2009
10:50 am
I’ll admit that poor grammar drives me nuts! I understand using slang when talking with your friends, but to use it in a professional manner is ridiculous. I hate to see an “educated” person make gross grammatical errors! I know that mine is FAR from perfect, but at least I don’t pretend to know something I don’t!
Jennifer Brett
March 24th, 2009
10:50 am
How about the incorrect use of the word “literally,” which literally happens all the time.
I once interviewed a high school principal in North Fulton about a teacher who had won a prestigious award. He was very proud of his colleague, of course, and said something like, “You literally kill for teachers like her.”
Really? Gosh, imagine the carnage at recruitment fairs!
Get With The Program
March 24th, 2009
10:52 am
I love it when someone wants to borrow something (like a lighter, etc.) and says “Can I hold that for a minute?”. I always respond with “Yes, you can hold it, but you can’t use it!”. They get the idea. And to tell someone that you have been living or staying somewhere for quite awhile with the sentence “I’ve been here for a minute.” makes absolutely NO sense.
Angry English-speaker
March 24th, 2009
10:57 am
I want to slap people when they say:
-irregardless
-expecially
-axe (instead of ask)
-”all of the sudden”
-”for all intensive purposes”
While not grammatical, I cringe when I head the MOST overused terms:
-”now, more than ever”
-absolutely
Also, I see a bunch of idiots online think the term “come on” is spelled “common” and that their car needs new “breaks” instead of brakes.
debbie
March 24th, 2009
11:01 am
I know that y’all is correct. Wish the people I had the argument with could see this — and it literally was an argument!
Let’s don’t forget “have a goot one.”
Thanks.
Rachel Randolph
March 24th, 2009
11:06 am
I love that this spirited conversation proves the point many don’t get: People do care about your grammar. So many people think that it doesn’t matter whether you use “your” or “you’re” correctly–they just assume others know what they mean. First of all, bad grammar can change the meaning of what you’re trying to say. Second, grammar, spoken and written, is a reflection of your intelligence. You may be very intelligent, but if you don’t use proper grammar, you may not be reflecting that intelligence. In fact, you risk not being taken seriously at all.
Another great book, especially for busy professionals, is “Booher’s Rules of Business Grammar: 101 Fast and Easy Ways to Correct the Most Common Errors” (McGraw-Hill). http://www.boohersrules.com
Susan
March 24th, 2009
11:11 am
I also hear “supposibly” instead of “supposedly” quite a bit. My biggest pet peeve, however, is that very few people (and this includes many copywriters who communicate for a living!) know the difference between the adjective “everyday” (as in “everyday low prices” and the phrase “every day (as in “We offer low prices every day.”) At least I haven’t seen “everynight,” or “everyweekend.”
amurel
March 24th, 2009
11:17 am
Benson, you took the words right out of my keyboard with your comment about objective pronouns. “Send that report to John and I.” “Do you want to go to the movies with Jane and I?” Ack! Drives me nuts! A few times, with people I’ve felt would be receptive rather than offended, I’ve pointed out that they wouldn’t talk about “sending the report to I” or “going to the movies with I,” and the fact that they’ve added another name in there…well, you all get it! Another pet peeve (among oh so many!) is hearing people in their late teens and older — i.e., very much old enough to know better — say things like “me and Jane went shopping.” Again, ack! I’m not a rigid, schoolmarmish type, honestly. And I genuinely appreciate creative use of language. But I can’t stand people making themselves sound stupider than they really are!
Gayle
March 24th, 2009
11:18 am
Eons ago in college, my friend and I used to sweat out our journalism 101 lab. Any kind of fact error — a name misspelled, for example — was an automatic 50% off!
Paramedic
March 24th, 2009
11:20 am
Here are some that we have to contend with in the street.
Let me ax youse a question
I have the screamin mighty Jesus (spinal meningitis)
He got the sugar (diabetes)
If asked about pre natal care. No I ain’t had none cause I ain’t sick
I gots the low blood. (anemia)
I gots the heart flops. (palpations)
And so it goes on and on and on and on.
Rev. Shauntelle Thunderclap
March 24th, 2009
11:24 am
My biggest pet peeve? People who ened every statement with, “. . . you know what I’m sayin’?” Obviously, these people are quite used to their listeners NOT understanding what they are saying, hence their need for constant verbal affirmation. I hire new employees regularly — if I hear that phrase, your application is headed straight for the “outbox” located on the floor near my desk.
Lashon
March 24th, 2009
11:26 am
‘is’ & ‘are’, ‘was’ & ‘were’
i correct everytime.
catlady
March 24th, 2009
11:35 am
We have teaching and administrative staff, including the speech pathologist, who say “have went” and other such unbearable errors.
kerry
March 24th, 2009
11:45 am
As much as bad grammar the redundancy so rampant and mistaken for indications of intelligence makes me gag. For example, often, no, frequently, the news anchor will report that she contacted the official’s office but has not heard back. How about the offer to present a coupon or rebate offer and “receive back” such and so? “Past experience”, “plans for the future”, and “going forward” (which other direction would you go?), advance warning, prior notice, etcetera, hopefully you all get the idea, causes me loose bowels.
Ward
March 24th, 2009
11:47 am
I used to get upset when I would find myself wading through misspellings and grammatical errors, trying to decipher what the writer’s intent was. Now I just dismiss it out of hand. If you can’t write, you can’t communicate. It’s fundamental, and don’t kid yourself otherwise.
Bruce
March 24th, 2009
11:57 am
I am a teacher that is tired of the following words or phrases:
Flo for Floor.
Doe for Door.
What that do?
What we be doing in class today?
Compruter for computer.
Turn the heat up, it be cold in here.
Hongry for hungry.
These are just a few of the examples of bad grammer that I deal with on a daily basis.
Amy Villarreal
March 24th, 2009
12:00 pm
Poor grammar and spelling spark more passionate debates than war and abortion. I think we need to get over it and get a life.
Brad
March 24th, 2009
12:06 pm
It absolutely boils my blood when I see misuse of ‘to’ and ‘too.’ Come on, people! ‘Too’ means ‘in addition’ or ‘also!’
Ward
March 24th, 2009
12:10 pm
Amy V, grammar and spelling are a lot easier to fix than war and abortion. It’s something you can do on your own; you just have to care.
Eddie
March 24th, 2009
12:14 pm
I have, from time to time, written newspaper reporters, radio announcers, even a few TV yakkers. On more than one occasion, I have taken AJC sportswriters to task. Most responses I receive are cordial. One of the AJC’s writers responded with something like, “Oh, you’re one of THOSE people,” I guess suggesting that I am one of those people who obsess over grammar. I like to think I’m one of those people who think it’s important that writers help protect and presrve the language and its rules — customary though those rules may be.
Judi
March 24th, 2009
12:17 pm
By pet peeve is ending a sentence with a preposition, especially “Where are you at?”
marco
March 24th, 2009
12:24 pm
I’ve been wondering whether the usage rules have changed regarding “among” and “between”… I’ve heard news reporters consistently make statements like “between the four of them…” or something similar. It is like “among” is just not used any longer. I’m also with some of the other commenters above — it seems like they could have a simple public speaking class required for all professional athletes to avoid the “me and the guys knew we’d have to play real hard to win…” kinds of statements. These guys are role models whether they want to be or not, and the youth that aspire to walk in their footsteps could stand to hear proper English so they can find a real job when sports don’t pan out for them.
Steppinfetchit
March 24th, 2009
12:26 pm
This blog is proof that Ebonics and hip-hop are destroying America.
You know what I be sayin dawg?
Esther J aka EJ the Diva DJ
March 24th, 2009
12:27 pm
Are some of the people on this website blogging about bad grammar offering to teach English classes? No. I do not think so. If you want to help teach a class or shut up. For those of you that are teachers. I do apologize.
Esther J aka EJ the Diva DJ
March 24th, 2009
12:28 pm
I purposes used a period instead of a comma in those last two sentences.
Sarah
March 24th, 2009
12:29 pm
I am a 26 year old college graduate.
I absolutely get angry and disappointed when I see people CONSTANTLY using the wrong prefixes or suffixes, tenses (past or passed, your or you’re, there, their and they’re, for example) when applying for a job, or even just writing me a note. It’s quite a sign of either complete ignorance or disregard for the English language. I try to correct people in a very passive way but they never pick up on the hint, which saddens me even more for the future of this country.
I am not perfect all the time and have to reread what I type, however, I acknowledge that and try to learn from my mistakes. No one wants to try to learn anymore. By the way, I have a bad habit of ending my sentences in a preposition. That’s something I’m trying to break, but is very hard to. See?
My biggest pet peeve? Fixin’.
Really? C’mon… that’s a word?
Oh and my favorite word seen in North Georgia as a part of a COMPANY – Rafting and Tubeing.
Way to go.
Ward
March 24th, 2009
12:35 pm
Apologize for what, Esther? Your own writing or your kids’ utter disregard for the language? If the latter, I bet I know where it comes from…
Judi
March 24th, 2009
12:38 pm
Okay – that was a typo. I meant to say, “My pet peeve is ending a sentence with a preposition, especially as in “Where are you at?” Sorry.
Kitty
March 24th, 2009
12:44 pm
OK, I’ll add my two cents because proper grammar, spelling and punctuation is a HUGE issue with me. “Libary” and “Febuary” make me crazy. So does “2 a.m. in the morning.” Aaaaarrgghhh!! And why do people use “sex” when they mean “gender?”
I work with a woman whose every fourth word is a malaproprism, e.g. “Optober.” It’s worse than fingernails on a blackboard to me.
Jennifer Brett
March 24th, 2009
12:47 pm
Has anyone noticed the errant apostrophe seems more ubiquitous than ever? Or am I just spotting it because it drives me nuts? A restaurant in Buckhead has a huge sign out front saying the place is “Celebrating It’s 40th Anniversary.” That alone makes me want to dine elsewhere! When I receive an invitation from “The Smith’s” or “The Johnson’s,” I sometimes think, I should really get some smarter friends. I know it’s uncharitable and wrong to judge, but I can’t help it!
Kitty
March 24th, 2009
12:48 pm
P.S. to Esther J: I wish I had a teaching certificate. I would KILL to teach proper English to today’s students.
Jim
March 24th, 2009
12:50 pm
Misuse of pronouns drives me crazy.
I or Me – “Me and Sandra are going to the movies.” “Give it to him or I”
She or Her – “Her and Jack are going steady.”
This type of mistake is rampant among teens and increasingly common on news broadcasts and most TV shows.
Teacher, Too
March 24th, 2009
1:26 pm
“Between you and I” drives me crazy!
Another misuse I had not heard of before moving to Georgia: we might have could, or we might could. HUH? What verb conjugation is that?
A couple of other pet peeves are speaking without using a helping verb, such as “Where you been?” or “What you doing” and incorrect use of ellipses.
I stress to my students over and over again the importance of good grammar skills, both written and oral, but they think I’m too strict.
ND
March 24th, 2009
1:43 pm
Next time you listen to a professional athlete give an interview count the times he says, “you know.” 9 out of 10 people say, “I could care less.” I think that one drives me the most crazy.
kerry
March 24th, 2009
1:46 pm
Angy English Teacher: How do you like “at the end of the day”, “albeit”, “basically”, and speaking of overused: “fundamentally” and “comprehensive”? How about ending a sentence with “at” as in, “Where’s that at”?
Teacher, Too
March 24th, 2009
2:09 pm
Kitty– Language Arts teachers are supposed to teach in context. But, sometimes, grammar just needs to be taught in isolation before you can apply it to context. When I first started teaching twenty years ago (in Texas), I was told not to use the grammar book. Everything was taught through the Nancy Atwell method. That generation of kids have poor writing and language skills.
Regarding writing: You can be the most gifted writer in the world, but if you can’t spell, punctuate, and/or compose effective sentences that make sense, it really doesn’t matter. Nobody wants to read poor writing that is fraught with grammatical errors, no matter how wonderful the ideas are.
Jason
March 24th, 2009
4:10 pm
Teacher, Too
“That generation of kids HAVE poor writing and language skills.”
Seriously?
Jason
March 24th, 2009
4:15 pm
The fact that so many of these posts from “strict grammarians” are filled with errors is awesome. You people need to realize that you, like our convoluted English language, are far from perfect.
DM
March 24th, 2009
4:36 pm
Hearing, even worse reading, “anyway” as a plural drives me nuts.
Addressing the command “Shut up” at another person was considered a vulgar use of the English language in our home.
Syntax and using only the “exactly correct word” was highly stressed in my Mississippi education.
Teacher, Too
March 24th, 2009
4:52 pm
My apologies, Jason. The sentence should read, “That generation of kids has poor writing and language skills.” While I do try to proofread my text multiple times, once in a while, I do make a mistake. Not perfect! I do understand subject-verb agreement.
Melissa
March 24th, 2009
6:35 pm
I want to know when (and why) it became commonplace to replace “I” or “me” with “myself.”
Ex. “Megan and myself will be there.”
Huh?
I’m glad there are others as frustrated with the world’s grammar as I am! Thanks for the article!
Sabrina
March 24th, 2009
9:13 pm
I thought I was a grammar Nazi, but I have been proven wrong.
Some of you are out of control. The “King’s English” is dead, and died a long time ago. Or maybe it has just morphed into something completely new, something that is not 1684, but made for the 21st Century.
We now have a global world (did you know “orientate” is a proper British word? It’s also OK in Australia when speaking geographically).
We have cultural additions to our language (not “black” or “white” additions – and the fact that you accuse another culture of “ruining” your perfect speech makes me sick).
We have the internet, which is NOT the Brown corpus (though I imagine it will influence it heavily in the future). It is real life.
It’s fun to be a know-it-all about grammar, but it isn’t real. As stated in The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage (which I purchased as soon as I moved to this land of slang and atrocious grammar and spelling):
“Statements about language or anything else are only as valid as the evidence that supports them. The evidence needs to be more than impressionistic and anecdotal if we are to evaluate linguistic diversity and change around us.”
Welcome to the real world where you CAN end a sentence with a preposition and you CAN split infinitives when you don’t want to sound like you have a stick shoved somewhere unpleasant.
Thanks to Martha for pointing out McKean’s Law: “Any correction of the speech or writing of others will contain at least one grammatical, spelling, or typographical error.” I’m glad to see we’ve all followed that rule.
I hate those errant commas, apostrophes and quotes as much as the next word nerd (and Melissa, I’m totally with you on the “myself” thing… don’t come to Australia, it’s a lot worse!), but I just wanted to point out that some of these posts sound like we are ready for war.
Language should be fun (yes, 4th grade English teacher, I did just say that) so take a deep breath and de-stress with http://www.engrish.com/ or babelize your English here: http://tashian.com/multibabel/.
Arrrgh
March 24th, 2009
10:09 pm
What aggravates me is people that say “in close proximity to”. That is redundant, not to mention improper. It’s just “in proximity”. Proximity means to be close to.
Get It Right
March 24th, 2009
10:12 pm
Whenever someone asks me “Where is that at?”, I always reply with “Behind the at!”. (As in, that is behind the at!)
Sometimes It's OK
March 24th, 2009
10:15 pm
The apostrophe does occur in the possessive case of indefinite
pronouns (”anybody’s”, “someone’s”, and so on).
Had to laugh!
March 24th, 2009
10:18 pm
@ Esther: “I purposes used a period instead of a comma in those last two sentences.”??? I PURPOSES??? hahahahaha
Oh, come on
March 24th, 2009
10:24 pm
AMUREL: You said: “But I can’t stand people making themselves sound stupider than they really are!” 1) Do not begin a sentence with a conjunction. 2) “Stupider” is not proper. It’s “more stupid”.
Ms. Anthropy
March 24th, 2009
11:43 pm
Bruce, with all due respect: it should be “I am a teacher WHO…” (that vs. who = big pet peeve of mine).
Christian
March 25th, 2009
9:54 am
Okay, I just can’t be a fly on the wall any longer. My BIGGEST pet peeve is the constant misuse of the words “on” and “to”. As in, “ON tomorrow we’ll have a test” or “Have your parents TO sign that form and bring it back ON tomorrow.” Aarrgh! I hear these exact phrases daily at the school where I work and I just cringe. We, as educators, are supposed to be modelling proper English for our students and yet… Oh no, blood pressure rising…
Barbara Whitlock Helium.com
March 25th, 2009
10:14 am
Grammar and word-use errors pinch, but one also needs to ackowledge the cultural evolution of language. Yes, this often suggests devolution, and that is lamentable.
However, there are some fun new words on the horizon. Google is a theoretical “highest” number one could count. Most folks today only know the online monopoly. I’m amused by the lengths Google.com has gone to prevent it’s proper noun from becoming a verb. But “to Google” is so omnipresent, I’m doubtful they’ll stem the tide.
Susan
March 25th, 2009
12:24 pm
I have to agree with Jason that strict grammarians are imperfect, too. I noticed a punctuation error in my comment when I read it later–and I cringed. None of us is perfect all the time when speaking or writing. If I say something incorrectly, I catch it immediately and correct myself to whomever I’m speaking. If I write something occasionally that goes out with an error, there’s not much I can do about it except kick myself in the ass. But at least I know when I’ve made a mistake. That, Jason, is the difference between strict grammarians and people who just don’t give a damn about proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Links: March out Little Lamb Edition | Meryl.net
March 27th, 2009
7:44 am
[...] Social Butterfly Does bad grammar make you [sic]? [Yes!] [...]
Salem
March 27th, 2009
8:47 am
I HATE when people say “literally,” when they really don’t mean it. Thanks for bringing that up, Jennifer. It literally drives me crazy (not true… it FIGURATIVELY drives me crazy… it literally, I don’t know, makes we wish they knew how to use the word?