Bad Grammar Amnesty! What's your grammar/spelling/punctuation pet hate?

Question

There are millions, and they are (they're, not their) all over the internet. Please, as supporter for the campaign for good English I now denounce such flippantly incorrect phrases such as: "you did good - wrong - it should be "you did well." etc. If anyone has any phrases they want to see the answers community educated on, let this be the place to voice those greivances.

Ok, as "a" supporter. I feel that although either was workable grammatically - the 1st was slightly clumsier. Although sometimes, I feel like the only one....

One could also bring back the third person neuter tense instead of using the second to denote a generic subject for reference.

e.g. Use: "One would" as opposed to "you would."

Answer 1

When people say... 'Close the lights.' AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Answer 2

Third person neuter is a pronoun, not a tense :-)

Anyway, I know what you mean about the quality of written and spoken English generally - it ain't great.

I think part of the problem is simply a shift in secondary school teaching away from considering grammar as a vital unit in the construction of a sentence - instead, getting meaning across seems to be its main aim, which is a mistake in my opinion. Look on the bright side, though - over the last few years there's been a surprisingly large increase in the number of pupils signing up for Latin and ancient Greek classes, both in comps and private schools. English grammar is a hell of a lot easier than the grammars of either of those two languages (I did a Classics degree), so anyone who can read Virgil or Plato in untranslated form will have no problem coping with our grammar. They'll also have the chance to read some of the best literature ever written.

Answer 3

My all time 'favourite' (I hate them all and my head will explode if I don't correct all spelling mistakes as soon as I see them) spelling mistake is Febuary. I was once told I'd got it wrong when I wrote 'February' and the person in question was taking the mickey out of me saying that you don't say Feb-roo-ary until our Senior Carer came to my rescue.

I happen to have been born in February, every time I write my date of birth I write it, so I should know.


My all time 'favourite' (ditto) grammatical error are double negatives ...... no, it's 'learn' instead of 'teach' ..... no it's 'would of' instead of 'would have' ..... no it's - there's too many to pick one.


As for punctuation errors, the winner definitely has to be putting an apostrophe in simple plurals; why would anyone want to do that? Why?




WHY?




Can I just say to ... supermoo, is it? The correct way to pronounce the letter 'h' is aitch. I've always thought it a hilarious paradox that one of the few words where it's acceptable to drop your 'h's is on the letter itself.

In Northern Ireland however, 'haitch' is acceptable but mainly in catholic communities.

Answer 4

My pet hate is the aberrant apostrophe. The apostrophe goes where a letter has been left out - your example "they're" has the apostrophe where the "a" would have been. So

do not becomes don't (the o is left out)
can not becomes can't
you are becomes you're and so on

The only other use of apostrophe is possesive, never use it on plurals. But you know what ? I've (short for I have) given up. It's more important for people to be able to express their opinions on Yahoo Answers, it makes me cringe, but everyone has a right to speak, regardless of their horrible spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Answer 5

1. Using apostrophes for plurals!

2. Using apostophes in yours, hers, its, ours and theirs.

3. Mixing up your/you're, their/they're/there.

4. The phrase "between you and I"

5. Using textish anywhere at any time.

6. Spelling "what" as "wat"

7. Confusing homonyms with each other, such as site/sight, accept/except, and so on (see #3).

8. Using 'of' instead of 'have' in compound verbs.

9. Saying "could care less" when you mean "*couldn't* care less."

Answer 6

using punctuation and the apostrophe. upload to this the particularly destructive spelling and the poorly built sentences and that i substitute into incensed. the autumn in standards of English has now particularly worked that's way into the working inhabitants as i'm getting very badly worded letters from companies.

Answer 7

The most obvious ones, the use of;

2 instead of to or too

4 instead of for

U instead of you.

These are the work of utter retards.

A common one on Yahoo answers is the use of "what" at the start of a question when "which" should be used.

The people who bastardise the English language like this are so thick they are completely oblivious of their errors.

Answer 8

I hate people who are unable to spell properly. I don't mean difficult words or those that the english language allows us so easily to get wrong, but those that are quite simple to spell.

Answer 9

I'm not too bothered, if I can understand the question, I'm okay.
But ... the one thing that gets my goat is the misuse of the word "lay". As in, "Go and lay down."
Hens lay - people lie down!

Answer 10

I hate it when people say pacifically instead of specifically - makes my back hair stick up

Answer 11

Shouldn't it be "as a supporter"?

And if you're going to be a grammar Nazi, shouldn't you get all hot and bothered about singular they?

Isn't 'Internet' capitalized?

Oh, and you forgot to close quotes around "you did good".