I admit it: I am a grammar nerd. I like grammar and diagramming sentences. I see a lot (see rule 6) of people make the same errors over and over and over again, especially online. I rarely correct anyone (except Emily, because she can take it and will dish it right back to me when needed), but I always cringe when I see mistakes.
Here is my shortened list of grammar pet peeves (there are many more, but here are a few). I'm not saying I never break them (I do!), and I make mistakes in other areas of grammar (like super long sentences, comma splices, and abundant parentheses), but I'm really careful about these in particular because they drive me batty when I see them. Don't worry - ask me to add two numbers together and I'll invariably give you the wrong answer. We all have our strong points!
1) Homonyms - words sometimes sound alike but are spelled differently!!!
To, two, too; their, they're, there; your, you're (the list goes on!) They are not interchangeable!
2) Loose vs. Lose. When you
lose weight, your pants get
loose. Also, it is
loser not
looser when you want to give an insult!
2) Apostroph
e's (or the wrong use thereof - hee hee): apostrophes come at the end of words that show possession or are a contraction for ____ is.
He's (he is), Bobby's umbrella, etc. Related:
It's and
its are two completely different entities and have different purposes. Making a word plural does NOT mean that it gets an apostrophe!
3) It's could HAVE, or would HAVE, not could of/would of.
4)
Less/few; Correct: I had fewer jellybeans than Billy. I had less milk in my glass than she.
Few describes an amount of something in number;
less is about mass.
5) Unique is just that: unique. Something can't be MORE or LESS unique. It's just unique. (This rule has been tweaked because of the corruption of the English language and the dictionary now makes allowances for people who want to say something has degrees of uniqueness. I stubbornly hold to the original meaning of the word, which is that something has no equal.)
6)
A lot is TWO words, not one. So is
all right. Always.
**A word about pronouns. I'm currently teaching pronouns, and I know the difference for when you should use pronouns such as
she/her; him/he etc. I also understand indefinite pronouns like
everyone (which is singular and should take a singular verb) and
who/whom and their correct usage. MANY people make mistakes with these. But these are not really a pet peeve of mine - it doesn't really bother me when people use them incorrectly. So go ahead and tell me that "
Billy and me are going to the store." I won't cringe. Much. But DON'T say "
Me and him are going to the store" unless you are going to buy me something while you are there in apology for butchering the English language. :)
