WINCEABLE!
November 11th, 2009 | by TJ |Ok, Internet, while we are not all the grammar snobs that I tend to be when it is convenient for me to be one, I think that everyone has their own little grammatical pet peeves. Whether it’s the standard your/you’re, it’s/its, their/there/they’re or something more obscure, I am pretty sure you’ve got something that gets under your skin.
I am telling you now that I am about to display huge snobbery. I mean, massive. I mean, I’m saying that when I come across this particular error and ones like it, I can’t even continue to read normally. And that makes me a dick. And it’s possible you’ve made this mistake. And that you might get butthurt. So you should know that going in. And know that if you say “Well, I do that ALL the TIME,” I’m not going to respond, “Well it’s ok when YOU do it.” Because it’s totally not ok. It’s just not ok.
For me, one of my biggest pet peeves in writing is when I see someone using a phrase that they clearly don’t understand. Now, sometimes this is painfully apparent, when the phrase is used completely incorrectly. What really gets me, though, is when a phrase is used correctly, but it is still obvious that the writer is not actually aware of what they were saying.
What brings this up? Well, twice, Internet, TWICE in the last couple of DAYS, I have seen the same mistake. Once by someone who identifies as a writer and once on a supposedly professional website. The mistake?
“Without further adieu, blah blah blah.”
Without. Further. Adieu.
Now, in both cases, the writer was using the phrase correctly – ending a an introduction to get into the real event or point of the item they were writing.
However, if you are saying “without further adieu,” it can easily be argued that while you know WHEN to use the phrase, you don’t actually know what you’re saying, at all.
As we (or at least most of us) know, the phrase is actually, “without further ado.” And while we don’t all speak French, it is reasonably common knowledge that “adieu” means “good bye” in French.
So, when you say “without further adieu,” I assume that you believe that you are saying “without further goodbye.” And I have to wonder, Internet, how do you actually rationalize that?
How does someone writing something for a professional website, or anywhere at all, really, explain to themselves how “without further goodbye” fits into what they are writing? You know you’ve heard other people SAY it, in similar circumstances, so you know that it fits, but if you truly believe you’re saying “without further goodbye,” I don’t believe you can actually explain to me why you think that it fits.
How can you look at “without further goodbye” and not say “Hm, wait a second, something’s not right here,” do a couple of moments of research and realize that you should actually be saying “ado,” thus making the phrase ACTUALLY MAKE SENSE?
I am going to go so far as to say that mistakes like this, using a phrase incorrectly or clearly not understanding what you are saying, is right up there with the dreaded your/you’re mistake. I cannot take you seriously if you make it so painfully obvious that even you do not know what you are saying!
And don’t even get me started on the people who say, “Walla!” Oh god, oh god, ohgodohgodohgod.
So I admit it, Internet. I’m a huge snot like that. Mistakes like that take me completely out of the article or story and leave me contemplating how someone could have possibly let that slip by instead of actually paying attention to the point of what I’m reading. So I beg you, Internet, in addition to checking for spelling and punctuation errors, please make sure you also understand what it is you are saying, to avoid such winceable mistakes.
(WINCEABLE. Had to make that UP. That’s how strongly I feel about this. No current words would WORK.)
Internet, I know there are a lot of writers out there among my readers, of varying levels of recreation, hobby and profession. Setting aside the usual suspects listed above, apostrophe mistakes, unnecessary quotes and other nitpicky errors that could possibly be written off to typo – what are your own personal, winceable writing errors?
By Phil on Nov 11, 2009
What causes me to stop is when people make the text very broken, as in not enough commas and waaaaaaaay too many periods.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I am so, so, SO not a fan of “stylized” writing.
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By Bumwaller on Nov 11, 2009
but what about…”for all intensive purposes”?
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
I just twitched. Seriously.
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By Noemi on Nov 11, 2009
I twittered my response, but just for complete overkill:
Hear Hear!
and something PIQUED your interest. It did not, PEEK it, and it most certainly did not PEAK it.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Hee. Like I said on twitter, I can ALMOST forgive “peaked my interest” because I can see how someone might reason that one out into making sense – as in, “brought my interest to a peak.” However, “peeked” just makes no sense no matter how you spin it.
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By Mj on Nov 11, 2009
Ok, I agree with you on the “without further adieu” because I would feel the same way. And I will admit it, I am somewhat of a grammer snob (yes, that was intentional.)
But chances are that not only did they screw it up, but that they had a spell checker that saw the word (possibly misspelled) and thought it should be adieu. That really makes me annoyed. Spell checkers are no smarter than people, they just make guesses, and not good guesses either. I hate it when I read something and I know that they probably just went with what the “spell checker said”.
My most recent issue was when someone wrote “where” for “wear” 5 times in the same paragraph. I wanted to hit them. Maybe knock a little sense in there.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Those mistakes happen once in a while, totally understandable, but I agree with you that full reliance on spell check is not acceptable. That’s when the most egregious errors of word choice happen!
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By Rhy on Nov 11, 2009
I totally, 100% agree with you on this one, TJ. My two most cringed-at mangled phrases? “A wild hair” (gah…) and “a bold-faced lie” (*wince*). I’ve got friends who regularly use both, and I die a little inside every single time.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
That’s the same kind of thing, I understand that you know HOW to use the phrase, but do you know what you are SAYING?
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Phil Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:00 am
A wild hare I can understand, but a bold faced lie? How do you misuse that?
I mean, it’s a blunt, obvious lie. Am I wrong?
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Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
It’s “bald-faced lie“.
Phil Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
BUT FACES CAN’T BE BALD!
Okay, that’s a winceable I want changed.
Rhy Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Faces can too be bald. You shave, don’t you? The term originated back in the olden days when businessmen would wear beards to make their faces harder to read. If you could lie believably without the beard, you were a skilled liar indeed; hence a bald-faced lie.
By Kelly on Nov 11, 2009
I start twitching when people write what amounts to a novella IN A SINGLE PARAGRAPH.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
I admit that I can hardly even bring myself to skim stuff like that.
I also admit that I have a hard time making adequate paragraphs myself, because of my own admitted comma abuse and sentences that are so cobbled together and epic that it’s hard to find an appropriate place for a paragraph break.
I seriously need a comma rehab.
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Kelly Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
About commas, I was taught “when in doubt, leave them out.” I rather like that philosophy. As for paragraphs, I try to arrange them so they’re aesthetically pleasing, but I have some friends who toss them in wherever they’d be gasping for breath if they were reading out loud. The asthmatics have very short paragraphs. :)
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I use commas like glue to stick together all of the parts of my fractured sentence structure.
By ahmielyn on Nov 11, 2009
Other than the ones you have already mentioned, the ones that really chap my ass are:
1. its/it’s – These are NOT interchangeable, and I fear that the words are so often used incorrectly that correct use is starting to look wrong.
2. alot/a lot – A lot is two words. Period. That is all. THAT IS ALL.
3. alright/all right – This one is iffier, for sure, but my high school English teacher once went on a rant about this particular issue, the point of which was this: you spell “all right” like you spell “all wrong.” And it stuck with me ever since.
I feel so dirty.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
It drives me nuts when I see simple mistakes like that because it just strikes me as sloppy. I know I make those mistakes – when I’m rushing and being sloppy.
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Adlib Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
I have had that same thought on the its/it’s issue, Ahmielyn. I know we were all taught this stuff in elementary school at some point, but I just don’t see how people forget the simple spellings. Do they not write something every day or at least every other day? *sigh*
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Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
In fact, “alright” and “all right” are interchangeable, and are acknowledged as such by most grammarians today.
In fact, I was just reading an article yesterday that discussed the point. So, “Are you alright?” and “Are you all right?” are both acceptable (although the latter might be open to some interpretation if you’re addressing one member of a group).
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
I am a grammatical stick in the mud and generally refuse to go along with grammar that changes with time.
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By Dzargul on Nov 11, 2009
I have two. Both have the consequence of making me immediately dislike the author and distrust what they are saying.
1) ‘LOL’ used as punctuation. ‘I had a great day LOL’ ‘Did anyone see this LOL’.
You found it funny. I get it. Now terminate the #%@&’d sentence properly.
2) Authors who can’t decide whether to add emphasis using capitals or italics. PICK ONE. I truly don’t care which. You can even switch off every other blog entry/article if you want to give the appearance of being even-handed. Just don’t do it in the same paragraph or, worse, the same sentence.
Ug. Thank you for providing that rant outlet.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I am actually starting to believe that writing LOL is like a typing tic for some people.
Also, I am TOTALLY guilty of your second pet peeve.
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Phil Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:02 am
I too am totally guilty, and I mean TOTALLY guilty of that second one. Like, TOTALLY.
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By Leah on Nov 11, 2009
Yes yes yes. And “intensive purposes” and “here here” and “peeked/peaked.” But the very very VERY worst, by all accounts, is people who use “literally” when they mean “figuratively.” It’s not just wrong, it’s as wrong as it could possibly get. It is, in fact, the very opposite of right, that’s how wrong it is. Drives me batty, it does.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Oh god. “Literally.” I can’t. I can’t. I can’t even – I just can’t.
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By Llinkla on Nov 11, 2009
I believe the Adieu represents the break from the speaker. As in, “I am done speaking, farewell. Here is what you came for.”
Could be wrong but that is the way I have always read it. ^_^
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Well, that could kind of make sense, I suppose, but the phrase is actually “Without further ado,” meaning, kind of “with no more lead up, nothing more from me, no more goings on here…”
Same as in “Much Ado About Nothing,” etc.
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By Tristina on Nov 11, 2009
I wince constantly at the ever-present use of “lolspeak” in just about everything I read. The author will be spelling everything out just find for several sentences or even paragraphs, then, suddenly, there’s a “ur” or “u” or even a “LOL” used as punctuation.
I grind my teeth and pretty much stop reading.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
It is only within the last month or two that I have brought myself to even TEXT message with the occasional “u” or “2.”
(Yes, I am one of those perfectly punctuated text people.)
I don’t understand how they slip into what is supposed to be even semi-serious writing!
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Mel Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
I’m one of those “perfectly punctuated text people.” And I never, ever use LOL. I can’t stand that. Are they seriously laughing out loud every time they type that? Certainly not.
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Adlib Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I agree; it’s very hard for me to abbreviate my texting.
(Even in my Warcraft playing, my guild hardly tolerates “lolspeak” in chat but unfortunately we have one guy that uses it as his first language, apparently. He makes himself appear not too bright with that sometimes.)
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Chaninn Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:45 am
Lolspeak is terrible. I see it everywhere and wince every time. I especially dislike “hear” for here and “moar” for more. WHY, internet, WHY?
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Tristina Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I’ll occasionally use it as a joke but very rarely and never when I’m having an actual conversation with someone. Writing “u” just screams laziness to me. Is it really that hard to type a “yo” in front of the u? Really?
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By Khronos on Nov 11, 2009
Most of my favorites got covered already- “for all intensive purposes” and “Alot” were the ones I was going to mention, although some people don’t know that “allot” is actually a word. The ‘LOL’ thing is more about the generation even than just individuals; it’s far overused, and if everyone actually LOL’d when they said they did…it’d be very loud.
The ‘literally’ one isn’t as annoying to me as it is HILARIOUS. It can cause some really funny statements, e.g. “I LITERALLY died laughing!” Oh, did you now?
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Awlbiste Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
When I was in 7th grade my teacher taught us a song: “A lot is two words, a lot is two words.” I still remember the tune those words go along with.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I am going to need to hear that song. I’ll teach you the “preposition cheer” an English teacher taught me.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I pretty much agree. My response to “literally” is often just “OH REALLY?”
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By Awlbiste on Nov 11, 2009
When people make the your/you’re or their/there/they’re mistakes I instantly assume that person is a complete fucking idiot.
I don’t care if that makes me a jerk. YOU ARE and YOUR are two entirely different things. It’s not even about correct apostrophe usage, or spelling, or knowing to put a period outside of a parenthesis. THEY ARE, THERE, THEIR. Come on people. You can do it!
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
I know it’s terrible, but I pretty much have to agree that my IQ estimation drops about 40 points for anyone I see making those mistakes.
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By Kristin H on Nov 11, 2009
Oh, Walla. I have explained and explained that to my mom and she STILL gets it wrong. My peeves have mostly been covered, but I will admit to irritation over Random Capitalization.
Like They used to Do in the Olden Days. It seriously Grates my Cheese.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Walla seriously hurts me. It seriously, seriously hurts me.
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Lori Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:40 am
What is Walla? I mean, I would obviously never use it, seeing as how I don’t know what it is. Is it half of an onion?
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Lori Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Never mind. I just kept reading comments, and I’ve got it now. Sorry the middle sentence in my previous comment was so awkward. It’s been a long day.
TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:51 am
How bad did you flinch when you figured out what it was? It’s that AWFUL?
Lori Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:49 am
I told my fiancé, who is MUCH more knowledgeable than I regarding all of this, and we virtually (I almost said literally) laughed our asses off.
I’ve read all the comments, and this is great stuff!
By Diane on Nov 11, 2009
Are you my BRAIN TWIN, TJ? I seriously had this exact “without further adieu” thought in the last 24 hours. It’s like you reached into my head and pulled it right on out. I’ve never actually seen it written that way, so I’m not sure why it occurred to me, but if I ever DO see it that way, I will raise all sorts of hell in your honor.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
IT’S OUT THERE! PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT!
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By Swistle on Nov 11, 2009
Butt-naked. I know there are others, but that’s the only one that comes to mind.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Hee! I actually love that one, only because it was one of my little brother’s “sayings” when he was a toddler. I find “butt naked” and “pinch black” to be ridiculously adorable.
When toddlers say it.
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By Anna on Nov 11, 2009
My biggest error-related-peeve (outside of the normal ones) is the one where people use “it” as an expletive.
“It is well known that…”
WHAT is well known? It is a PRONOUN. Pronouns have ANTECEDENTS. In that particular case, “it” isn’t referring to anything, it is simply a filler phrase. A bullshit filler phrase. A really easy to avoid bullshit filler phrase. (just turn the sentence around.)
And I know I fall prey to this particular peeve, especially when i’m in a hurry, and I know that this one is a really nitpicky, really persnickety, really grammar maven-y rule?
but NARF.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
That is one of those ones that I spend half an hour looking at, switching my sentences back and forth and back and forth and back and forth until I throw up my hands and just leave it.
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By Katy on Nov 11, 2009
“Spitting image” always gets me. I cannot see how being told “You are the spitting image of your mother.” could be construed as a compliment.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
See, that one is pretty archaic. I actually totally agree with you that when you really think about what you’re saying, it doesn’t sound that flattering. However, that phrase has been stretched and twisted so far from its origins that nothing I’ve found (and I’ve actually looked into this before!) actually agrees on what the original phrase was. Usually I see either “spit and image” or “spitten image.” However, “spitting imagine,” however little sense it makes, is an actually accepted version – the main version, these days, even.
Endlessly frustrating, because you’re right, it totally doesn’t make sense, but I can’t fault people TOO much for that one.
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Tami Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Actually, I would have guessed “spitting image” to be correct. As in, “You look so similar that the differences between you are less than spitting distance apart”
Or something.
Mind you, that’s probably just my brain trying to rationalize it.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Spitting Image.
By Susan (Trout Towers) on Nov 11, 2009
Cannot. I had an English teacher who went on a can not vs. cannot rant and I cannot spell it can not.
That should have had some quotation marks somewhere, but I was afraid of pissing someone off.
Sorry, off-pissing someone.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 8:57 pm
Agreed. I also cannot do can not.
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By Shin Ae on Nov 11, 2009
Every grammatical error I see drives me nuts. This is unfair because I am sure I make plenty of errors. For instance, I know I, too, am a comma abuser. I re-read my writing and remove more commas each time. I re-read it many times. How can there be that many commas?! The answer is: I put them there.
“Breathe” and “breath.” “To” and “too.” I hate lack of necessary commas and apostrophes. I hate addition of unnecessary apostrophes. I’ve noticed and cringed over the errors others have mentioned here. Well, except for “Walla.” I don’t know what that means, and I have never seen that word in print.
I can’t think of anything else right now.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Say “walla!” out loud. It’ll come to you. And you’ll be horrified.
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Shin Ae Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:07 pm
I was doing just that (in the shower, a little while ago) and nothing happened. I must have been missing a certain…something. I came back here and saw your response to Tal and yes, it was horrifying. My entire face *and* my upper arms turned red for anyone who has made that mistake.
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Shin Ae Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Funny thing, though, regarding grammatical stuff that drives me nuts: I don’t know how to pluralize my own last name. Humiliating.
By Anna on Nov 11, 2009
On the subject of commas, there was a rather hilarious post making the rounds from an Associated Press story that made some really hilarious statements because of the ambiguity that resulted from its absence.
“They say a reason for the region’s hollowed-out faith is a pervasive theology that departs from traditional Biblical interpretation on issues such as the divinity of Jesus, the exclusivity of Christianity as a path to salvation and homosexuality.”
I can’t find the link now to the original story, but it cracks me up every time I read it.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
I believe in ketchup on scrambled eggs, toilet paper in the over position, and the Oxford comma.
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Chibi Jeebs Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:19 am
I will forever be your loyal hand maiden for this statement, specifically the bit about the Oxford comma.
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By Anna on Nov 11, 2009
Found it! http://www.harpyness.com/2009/10/29/the-oxford-comma-a-good-idea/
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By Tami on Nov 11, 2009
How to use an apostrophe, with handy pictures!
http://apostrophe.me/
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By Tal on Nov 11, 2009
I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen “Walla!” used. Well, I have, but that’s because it’s a pretty common exclamation in Hebrew (and Arabic). Don’t think I’ve seen it used wrong, though.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
It’s usually used in the correct context, but the word I am talking about is actually “voilà.” It is PRONOUNCED “walla!,” but not spelled that way.
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Awlbiste Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:05 am
It’s not pronounced “walla” either. And that makes it even more sad.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:28 am
Not quite, no, but to the people who SPELL it “Walla!,” it is pronounced that way. Which, you know, whole other issue.
By Jennifer on Nov 11, 2009
“Walla” is actually one of mine. But don’t forget its ugly stepsister…”Viola!” which I see all the time.
Except that it’s not an exclamation. It’s a musical instrument with strings.
And I can’t believe no one has said “I could/couldn’t care less.” I’m always amazed how many really smart people get that one wrong.
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Oh MAN, the could/couldn’t care less thing. Again, a case of people not actually paying attention to what exactly they are saying.
And the vehemence with which some will defend the way they say it, too!
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By Bridgette on Nov 11, 2009
Once upon another lifetime I sanctioned myself and my writing. Now I just want to get it out of my skull as fast as possible, punctuation and spelling be damned!
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TJ Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
I definitely have days where I feel the same way. However, in my snobbery, I must admit that when I see these mistakes, I don’t take the author nearly as seriously.
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By Mj on Nov 11, 2009
I know I already posted, but another one that bugs me is “ideal” – as in “That is a great ideal. We should do that.” You can have high ideals, but what you had there was an I D E A. No “L”.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 am
You lie! No way, I can’t even believe that one!
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Pablo Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
All too common I’m afraid
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By Mel on Nov 11, 2009
I actually read through all of the comments (which I rarely do) because I love this sort of thing. I’m also very snobbish when it comes to grammar, though I know that I’m guilty of plenty of mistakes myself.
Your/you’re is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, but I’ve caught myself doing it – not because I didn’t know the difference, but because my fingers move faster than I can think sometimes.
There’s another one that I’ve seen one or two particular people do multiple times, and it drives me nuts, but of course now I can’t think of what it was at the moment.
Sort of related, but this happens in speaking rather than writing – I absolutely, positively can’t stand when people say “so didn’t I” or “so don’t I.” Seriously? So DID NOT I? Come on!
And just so you know, I will now be very nervous every time I comment on your blog worrying about what stupid mistakes I’m making.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 am
That’s too awkward to even imagine saying.
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By Mikey on Nov 11, 2009
1. Abbreviating 2-3 letter words. o i c u LOL!
2. I can understand with how you are raised (Accents)sounding a certain way but i’m sure you learned to spell/type the words correctly.
“dis bee what i benz talkens abowt she toks my pappah main!”
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:13 am
That is so aggravating. I don’t understand why people do that at all, with the deliberate “spelling the way you talk.”
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By Arwen on Nov 11, 2009
It took me a couple hours, but I finally got the “walla” thing. Then I died. LITERALLY. I’m writing this from beyond the grave.
This post and all the comments are so much fun!
One of my pet peeves is “I could care less.”
Also, this is not a writing error, but my father-in-law says “stoled” as the past tense of “steal.” I want to bang my head against the wall every time.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:16 am
I need to admit something.
Don’t tell anyone.
I don’t say “stoled,” but I do say “tooken.”
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By Morrissimo on Nov 11, 2009
1. “could care less” when what they mean is “couldn’t care less” — SO glad that already got covered.
2. “must’ve” written as “must of” (or any other variant thereof: “should of”, “could of”, etc). ARE YOU FRACKING KIDDING ME?! No, really, stop breathing. Now. RIGHT NOW.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:16 am
“Must of” kills me. KILLS. ME. Another one that doesn’t even make sense.
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By Adlib on Nov 11, 2009
Omg, I love this post! I laughed so hard reading the comments because I have pretty much had every single one run through my head at some point. My peeves are definitely/definately/defiantly and irregardless. Yeah, I don’t know why people spell “definitely” as “defiantly” because…not EVEN THE SAME WORD!!
Irregardless. Just so stupid.
Also, the “walla” thing is just too funny, especially Arwen’s most recent comment.
Oh, the last thing is probably the spellings of yeah/yay/yea. Some people even mean “yeah” but will spell it “ya”. What??! No no no!!
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Awlbiste Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:11 am
I spelled definitely wrong for SO LONG. I’m actually pretty embarrassed at how long.
How about this one: tomarrow. To-marrow? Is that like inserting marrow into things? I plan to-marrow some bones tomorrow.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Tomarrow? That is REDICULOUS.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:17 am
The “ya” thing is awful. Not even close. How is “ya” pronounced like “yeah?” Who even taught these people that!
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By Fyurae on Nov 11, 2009
My dad says he used to utter the phrase ‘tweechie zone’ instead of ‘to each his own’ when he was a kid.
I like suposably and supposedly. Immortalized in an episode of FRIENDS.
Suposably… suposably… ‘did they go to the zoo?’ …’suposably’…
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Adlib Reply:
November 11th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
Fyurae, earlier tonight I was talking to my sister on the phone and she slipped and actually said “suposably” and made fun of herself for it since she caught it right away, and we had a good laugh. We actually talked about this whole subject before I saw the post.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:19 am
I am just left wondering how these people made it all the way to adulthood without no one pulling them aside and saying “Dude. No.”
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By Angelya on Nov 12, 2009
Oh yes, inappropriate use of apostrophes makes me sad, especially when it is written on a sign hung in public just to show potential customers that you failed English at high school.
Also the use of “yer” instead of “yeah”… wtf people?
One thing that really annoys me though is when people are saying that they really don’t care about something by saying they “could care less”. To me this indicates that they do actually care about it to some degree – there is a lesser degree of caring, but they are not at that level.
The phrase should be “I couldn’t care less”, as in “I really do not care one little bit. In fact it is impossible for me to care any less than I do.”
Call me pedantic, but it annoys me :)
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Angelya Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Oh damn, and I just read up through some comments and loads of people have posted about that already… oh well :)
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:20 am
No, that’s totally fine, because that is one that requires A LOT OF VOCAL OBJECTION.
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By Chibi Jeebs on Nov 12, 2009
Irregardless
Awe! What a cute baby!
Supposably
Moo point
Viola
P.S. I am completely intimidated about my comment grammar and punctuation. *blush*
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:23 am
But “moo point” is totally fine. Because it’s like a cow’s opinion. It doesn’t matter. It’s “moo.”
/Joey Tribiani
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I feel the need to emphasize how hysterical I find that line from Joey. Because it’s actually so well reasoned. I mean… a cow’s opinion DOESN’T matter. If you ask a cow for his opinion, it is always “moo.”
I swear, I laughed for a week.
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Adlib Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I always thought that was well reasoned too! I believe the “moo point” also came up in my discussion with my sister yesterday after she said “suposably”. (The only reason she said it is because she hears it a lot, and she works at an elementary school! That scares me.)
Dzargul Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I swear I’m not just trying to be a smart-ass here…But it makes sense. Well, it makes sense if the cow says ‘MU’.
…Which can be a Chinese Ideogram meaning ‘no-thing’.
Lori Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Oh, I use “moo point” all the time! Love me some Joey.
Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
What about “mute points”? *cry* I see that every once in awhile (once and a while…omg kill kill kill!!!) and it hits my like your “without further adieu.”
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Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Oops; missed Kelly’s reply on this one. My bad.
TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Also, only asshole judge comment grammar and spelling mistakes. And I’m an asshole, but not THAT kind of asshole.
Mostly, I object to seeing these mistakes in professional writing, or made by people who profess to be writers, in their actual “writings.”
That is, not in comments, but in actual work and practice.
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Kelly Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:34 am
And then there are the folks who say “mute point.” Just. Stop.
Oh, and the people here in NY State to have to put random Ts at the end of words: “I went acrost the river.” They don’t even hear it, and in 10 years, I haven’t been able to get any of them to stop.
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By Lara on Nov 12, 2009
Oh man, I love stuff like this.
As you know (hee), some of the stuff I see on Twitter drives me bat-shit crazy. A while ago a #yourlame one went around and I couldn’t help but post a couple like “#yourlame education is evident” and “#yourlame spelling amuses me”.
I yell at the TV, correcting people, all the time and when I do my boyfriend yells out “GRAMMAR POLICE! UP AGAINST THE WALL!!”
I love him.
My contribution is something that drives me bonkers. I hate signs that say “Save up to 50% off!”
No, no, no. Either you will “Save up to 50%” or the item is “Up to 50% off”. NOT BOTH.
I am so worried there is a typo or mistake in this comment.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Admit it, you’re one of those people who loses their shit when someone says “PIN number” or “ATM machine,” aren’t you!
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Lara Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Yes.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Knew it.
Morrissimo Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
“SAT test”
/cry
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Tristina Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
VIN Number
/headdesk
By druidchick on Nov 12, 2009
For some reason this all reminds me of something I used to say as a kid, which must have pissed off TONS of people back then…
You see, I learned most of my vocabulary & phrases from reading books. So I went around exclaiming GEEZ LEWIS! this and GEEZ LEWIS! that. Louise, Lewis, same difference right? You know what though, nobody ever corrected me! I had to learn by myself, after several years of reckless Geez Lewising… Gosh!
Geez Lewis.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:30 am
Haha, see, since it’s just you, and as a kid, it is more charming than horrible.
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By shriek house on Nov 12, 2009
I have NEVER seen voilà written as WALLA! Oh my stars, that is UNBELIEVABLE.
I recently saw a meeting transcript that read, “The eyes have it.” Sounds like a horror film, right? I suppose the hills have AYES, then??
My own dearest husband is grammatically challenged, and commits nearly all of the above sins regularly. The worst is when he spells within as two words. I throttle him every time.
Oh and – one more point about adieu: not only does it mean goodbye, it is the goodbye one says immediately preceding death. Literally, à Dieu, which is French for “to God”.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:30 am
See, you have never seen “Walla!,” and I have never seen “the eyes.”
I am glad we could bring these horrors to one another.
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By Carmen on Nov 12, 2009
I had to laugh at ‘Walla’ instead of ‘voila’. My mother’s friend used it in an e-mail to me a few years ago and I couldn’t believe anyone could be that obtuse. But then I see a lot of people using ‘chow’ instead of ‘ciao’, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:31 am
“Chow!” No way! Oh man, that’s so terrible it’s almost tipping the scales back to awesome.
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By Mel on Nov 12, 2009
I just thought of “all of the sudden” – that makes me nuts. I still can’t remember the other one I was thinking of last night, but I will!
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Ah! I have a friend whose intelligence I firmly believe in, and he says “all of the sudden.” What a damn shame.
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By ZombiePirateXXX on Nov 12, 2009
Huge numbers of comments so not even sure if this has come up yet but my most hated of all literary misdemeanours is something along the lines of “I should of done that”… /cringe. I think you mean “I should HAVE done that” please, don’t ever use should of, it’s should have… this just winds me up.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 7:20 am
Ahhh! Should of! That one kills me, too!
And don’t worry, most of the comments are just me twitching and freaking out and growing hives over everything everyone has come up with.
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By Deborah Timmers on Nov 12, 2009
My husband always gets pissed when I say this
” I cannot never ” I do not know how or where I picked this up.
I say it all the time SLAP ME NOW !!!
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I don’t even know what to say to that one. Then again, I am always asking Phil to either “louden it” or “hand me the loudener” when we’re watching television, so who am I to talk?
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By Stephanie on Nov 12, 2009
Loose versus lose. Aw versus awe (my sister does that ALL THE TIME with the “awe, that is so cute!”).
And I will jump on the “could have cared less” and “LOL/text speak” bandwagons. The “LOL” really irks me. A whole bunch. People use it ALL THE DAMN TIME and it’s (not its) like the meaning has been lost. Grrrrr.
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Geoff Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:05 am
I can’t stand it when people write “loose” instead of “lose”. And what makes it worse is that it’s actually an extra letter! They go out of their way to screw this one up.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
I don’t get how people could mix up “loose” and “lose!” Two clearly different words, obviously pronounced completely differently. You cannot mess those up unless you don’t actually know how to read.
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Pablo Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
I think you hit the nail on the head there TJ
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Melissa Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 8:54 am
I was wondering when someone would get around to this one. I think I’ve finally figured it out: People pronounce “lose” like they would “choose.” Thus, the mix-up. Still drives me nuts.
The problem with possessive pronouns is that that unlike other possessives, they DON’T have apostrophes, but they ARE commonly used as contractions, which also use apostrophes. Even though I know the difference, I find myself making stupid typos mixing up it’s and its, even after editing.
English is effed up.
By Carrie on Nov 12, 2009
Well, since the always-wonderful World of Warcraft references haven’t come up yet, I have to bring up…
Rouge.
I find it especially wonderful when the person spelling it that way actually plays one. They look at the damn word every time they log in, and they STILL cannot spell it right.
Apart from that, I can’t stand it when it’s obvious someone has edited a sentence, and didn’t quite remove everything they wanted to edit out.
I’m sorry, I want to continue this comment, but my stupid coworker has worn his jeans with the hole in the back pocket and I need to go get him a coat so I don’t have to stare at his underwear for the rest of the day.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Oh man, rouge. Kills me. I know a guy who used to fancy himself quite the WoW blogger who constantly made that mistake. Even after being called out on it.
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Peregwyn Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
I want some game to make a rouge’s guild or shop or something that sells cosmetics.
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Rhy Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
Whenever someone uses “rouge” instead of “rogue” I make it a point to reply with something makeup related.
“LF rouge to open box”
“I’m all out of rouge, but my eyeliner doubles as a handy lockpick!”
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By Wulfa on Nov 12, 2009
It amazed me the first time I reviewed a paper in college. Commas utilized EVERYWHERE, capitalization misuse, and so on. Those are my pet peeves.
And now you have made me rethink every sentence/paragraph I have put together today.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I find the mistakes more irritating in certain settings than others. Letting silly, “whoopsie!” mistakes slide in blogs is easy. In professional copy on websites? Not so much.
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Adlib Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Sometimes the marketing lady at work wants me to proofread her stuff, and sometimes it makes me want to rewrite the whole thing. Commas everywhere, crazy run-on sentences, misused technical jargon. I usually just pick out the punctuation errors and let it go because otherwise I’d rewrite the whole thing. I always wanted to do that to my friend’s papers in college too.
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By Tracey on Nov 12, 2009
People use “so-and-so and I” in the objective position. I wind up yelling at the TV pretty consistently for this one. “Tamara and I are getting our nails done” = fine. “The spa held its last two appointments for Tamara and I” = cringe!
I mean, it’s pretty clearly an over-correction of using ‘me’ as the subject, but…why is this so common all of a sudden? I’ve even heard it in official statements from politicians.
There’s a whole generation of 2nd grade teachers spinning in their graves…
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Adlib Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:17 am
YES! Exactly. People have forgotten sentence structures, and it makes me cry. Sometimes it really is the word “me”, and it’s like they can’t bring themselves to say it! If it follows a preposition (pretty easy to identify), it’s most certainly “me”!
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:51 am
That’s one of those ones where I can never quite figure out the rules, so I will mentally rephrase the sentence I want to say over and over until I can avoid the problem.
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Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
TJ, I discussed that very thing (among others) in a fairly well received article a few weeks ago. It may be helpful. English 101 – Cliff Notes Version
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By Shelly on Nov 12, 2009
I love all of this! “Loose” and “lose” is one of my biggest pet peeves. And the use of apostrophes! Does ANYONE know how to use those anymore? Since Facebook has become so popular, I’ve been horrified by how poorly my former classmates spell and use grammar! I went to school with these people! How did I learn these things and they didn’t?!
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 9:52 am
There is NO EXCUSE for improper apostrophe use. It’s so easy to use them CORRECTLY and it makes you look so dumb when you do it wrong!
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Tracey Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Not a pet peeve, but it makes me laugh when people high in my company reverse loath/loathe…
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Two! Different! Words!
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By Katie on Nov 12, 2009
Wow, I think TJ outdid herself. She responded to every comment.
I am a comma abuser, I put prepositions at the end of sentences, and I can’t think of anything that really bugs me at the moment. I’m sure something will come to me right after I click submit.
Oh well.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Almost every comment. Allllmost.
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By Bernie on Nov 12, 2009
Hmmmm, I always thought that commas were your pet peeve. you know, writers who put commas in inappropriate places.
Now, I find that “walla” is a word.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
A person can have more than one pet peeve. And in the comma situation, my peeve was that the person in question refused to acknowledge that he was using commas incorrectly. Which he was.
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By Dave on Nov 12, 2009
People in Pittsburgh say things like “The wash needs done.”
I grew up saying “wooder” instead of water.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
See, I am not going to busy on regional pronunciation issues. That’s totally different from making the same grammatical errors in text, much less professional text, over and over.
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By lenebean on Nov 12, 2009
My pet peeves are:
-supposably instead of supposedly
-calling something ironic that is not, in fact, ironic
-errant apostrophes
-PEOPLE WHO WRITE E-MAIL OR CHAT IN ALL CAPS, ALL THE TIME.
I have a friend who is working on his Ph.D. and also teaches some classes at the U. Upon grading some papers it occurred to him that he wanted a stamp of Mandy Patinkin in Princess Bride saying, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
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lenebean Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
OMG. And I just saw this in a job listing I was reading on Craigslist a couple of minutes ago:
“XLNT organization and communication skills.”
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
NO YOU DIDN’T!
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Adlib Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Whoa. There are no words.
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By Joonces on Nov 12, 2009
I agree with ALL of the above. My pet peeve? The use of “mortify.” I’m constantly hearing it used as a substitute for scared/terrified, i.e. “I was mortified when that shark tried to eat me.”
I think it annoys me the most because my brain leaps to the correct use and I’m left wondering why people were embarrassed/humiliated that they were almost eaten by a shark. Argh.
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:53 am
No way! People really do that one? I swear half these answers have surprised the pants off me.
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By Chibi Jeebs on Nov 12, 2009
I thought of more! Oogle/oggle instead of ogle, and people who… god, I don’t even know what it’s CALLED… say stuff like “the floor needs washed.” No, it needs TO BE washed. What IS that?!? WHY??? It only makes (me and) the Baby Jeebus cry, dammit.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
AWESOME – Oogle/oggle gets me, too, because it’s another one that indicates that the person probably doesn’t actually know what they’re saying. I mean, those spellings would be pronounced differently, wouldn’t they? Why would you make that mistake?
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By Melchoir on Nov 12, 2009
I can honestly say, I have never seen walla written before this day. I am also a big critic of the phrase “could care less” being used inappropriately. I even ranted about it to one of my friends a few years ago. Other than that, I am pretty laid back, and typos don’t bother me much unless they are extremely egregious. I also hate whether, as even when spelled correctly, it looks wrong to me.
I don’t have much of a southern accent, but there are some words that it comes out in painful effect. There is one word that I hear my dad use all the time, and I have taken to using it. Whether I use it consciously or not, I don’t know. The word is wrench in place of rinse. In context: “I’m gonna go wrench my hands off.” I grin each time I hear or say it, as I can imagine myself twisting my hands off and replacing them with a cleaner, spare set of hands.
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Ha! Wrenching off of hands certainly does provide an… interesting… mental picture.
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Noemi Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
That reminded me of people who “ring” their hands in distress. And how, exactly, does one do this???
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By Jessica on Nov 12, 2009
I think I might just be a grammar disaster.
But, hell. I’m funny? I think? Was that an overuse of question marks? Because I am certain I just made at least seven fragments…Sentences? What?
(I know…there I go with the question marks again. Damn).
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TJ Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
You may consider yourself a grammar disaster, but I am sure, were you writing a professional piece of some sort, you would not be making any of these awful, blatant mistakes.
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By Capn John on Nov 12, 2009
Does enunciation count here?
People who claim to grow ‘erbs, and that’s not an accent. For some reason they think it’s correct to pronounce Herb with a silent H. If you’re a Herbalist, and if it’s Herbal Medicine, and if plant eating animals (like Cows) are Herbivores, then the little plants growing in your window box garden are Herbs! (Unless you’re Cockney, I’ll let that slide.)
My other pet peeve is the mispronunciation of Grand Prix. I don’t care what the first word looks like, they’re BOTH French. It’s not Grand Pree and it’s not Grand Pricks; it’s Gron Pree.
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Kestrel Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Interestingly, it’s more common (and not improper) in the US to pronounce “herbs” as “erbs.” Many British people though, who drop initial h’s like they’re bad habits, DO pronounce it as “herb” (with the aspirated h). And in the US, “herbal” and “‘erbal” are about equally common; again, both are technically correct.
And then there is the whole “an historic/a historic” thing, which I don’t even want to get into. Suffice to say, that’s largely a regional distinction as well. (I pronounce my aitches.) ;)
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By Pablo on Nov 12, 2009
Weather used for whether is a minor peeve of mine.
Irregardless, mentioned earlier by Adlib is my wifes personal favorite.
My biggests gramatical pet peeve is orientated.
“The new employees were orientated.” No, they weren’t. They were oriented. They may have attended an orientation class, but they were not orientated since orientate is not a word.
How bad do I hate this one? I actually corrected the HR rep during my orientation class for this job.
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lenebean Reply:
November 12th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I hate orientated, too! It reminds me how much I hate business-speak, as in the words that MBA types make up to make themselves feel edgy and relevant. (No offense to the MBA types out there.) You know, like the implementation of the term “impactful.”
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Kestrel Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I have an MBA (Missouri, ‘78) and I hate that crap too. One of my biggest peeves is “utilize.” What the hell is wrong with “use”?
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lenebean Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Well, “use” is great, but not as utilizeful as “utilize.” ;)
TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
My first job out of college? My boss said something about calling clients and getting some of their “mind share” before budgets closed for the year.
Come on now! That is just MADE UP!
By kLog on Nov 12, 2009
Not really a pet peeve of writing, but more of the American vernacular:
1) “How come?” and
2) “Where are you at?”
Ohhhhhhhhh man, it drives me nuts.
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Where are you at is AWFUL.
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By lenebean on Nov 12, 2009
A couple of other things that just came to mind:
-Affect vs. effect, though I must admit I’m guilty of using the term “to effect change” in many of my grad school papers. :p
-Accept vs. except
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By JdJdJd on Nov 12, 2009
I’m a little late to this party but have to add one in. I received this in an email today trying to arrange a meeting that is being delayed due to the upcoming holiday.
I was offered a phone conference to “tie me over” until then.
Tie me over what? A phone call might “tide me over”. But maybe not.
The other would be “I could care less”. Really? You could? I couldn’t care less myself.
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:52 am
Really weird connection, but that reminds me of the Full House episode where Joey says he used to be called a “Toe head,” because his head was shaped like a toe.
Weird connection, I know!
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Adlib Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 11:58 am
Ha ha ha! I totally remember that line on that episode.
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By Mj on Nov 12, 2009
I was reading this article (http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/11/news/economy/nuclear_towns/index.htm) on CNN, and thought of you with this phrase: “The infrastructure burdens the town bares, from adding new roads to handle the influx of people to building more schools, isn’t worth the payoff.” Apparently, the town gets nekkid.
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Also? That is just a horrendous sentence.
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By Willow on Nov 12, 2009
Expresso and expecially. It’s even worse when they are actually spelled out….makes me feel like my brain is leaking out of my ears.
A/an used improperly drives me nuts.
I also cannot stand “hot water heater.” Did I punctuate that correctly?
My ex-husband’s mother used to say “wimper wipers.”
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:51 am
Expresso is a really good one.
And yes, your punctuation is fine, and I never even THOUGHT of that one!
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By Peregwyn on Nov 12, 2009
Could care less. If you could care less, then why are you even trying to make a point?
Irregardless is not a word.
Persay…If you are smart enough to use it correctly, you really should be smart enough to spell it.
From whence…Whence includes the word from already, leading to the sentence being from from where. Used by people trying to show off their knowledge and failing, badly.
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Fyr Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Much love for irregardless. It’s too funny not to use. It’s so self-obviously wrong! A single word that tells what’s bad about it. Very funny.
If it ever gets popular enough to make it into a dictionary then it will cease to be funny… but for now use it every chance you get :D
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By Khronos on Nov 12, 2009
Ooh, I thought of another one. It’s kinda obscure, but it annoys the crap out of me. Using “wherefore” to mean “where.” People think “Hey, I’ve seen Romeo & Juliet, I can sound smart!” NOPE.
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TJ Reply:
November 14th, 2009 at 3:50 am
OH! AWESOME ONE!
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By Lara on Nov 12, 2009
I thought of some more! Sorry, did I mention before I love this stuff?
I have an otherwise intelligent friend who insists on saying “seen” – as in “I seen Bob at the mall today”. Makes me cringe, every time.
The other one that drives me nuts is the use of “I” versus the use of “me”. I have actually had arguments with people about this one.
I was taught that in order to decide whether you should use “I” or “me”, you should remove the other person from the sentence.
Example: “Sarah and I went to the mall.” If you remove Sarah, you would still say “I went to the mall”. “I” is correct.
If you say “that comment affected me deeply”, but add another person, it would read “that comment affected Bob and me deeply”. So many people say “that comment affected Bob and I deeply”. Would you say “That comment affected I deeply”? No. So “I” is incorrect. I can’t tell you how many times I have been disputed on this.
(And I hate using affected as an example here, because the affect/effect thing is one I struggle with. But I can’t think of another example right now).
Am I wrong? This is how I remember being taught but very few people I know agree with (Bob and) me. Or should I say very few people agree with (Bob and) “I”?
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Carmen Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
That is EXACTLY how I was taught how to decide to use ‘me’ or ‘I’ in a sentence. I’ve had this argument with my husband SO MANY TIMES because he gets it wrong. Every time. He’s a biochemistry professor at a university and so I feel he ought to get it right, considering his education level and all.
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lenebean Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Yes, Lara, that’s correct, and also the most useful method I have to make sure I have the whole “me” or “I” thing right. I wonder if I make this error in speaking, given that I don’t typically have the time to sort everything out ahead of time.
Now, as far as “affect” versus “effect,” there’s a fairly simple way to keep them straight . . . with a couple of exceptions.
Affect is typically a verb while effect is usually a noun. The main exceptions I have seen tend to be used in certain to professional contexts:
“Affect,” with the stress on the first syllable, can be used in social work, psychology and other such professions to describe one’s display of emotions or lack of emotion. I guess it’s a homograph, really.
“Effect” used as a verb meaning “to bring about.” Example: “The new comprehensive sex education curriculum will be implemented in the school district to effect change in the rate of teenage pregnancy, with a goal of decreasing the rate by half over the next 3 years.” That’s actually kind of a stupid example, but you get what I mean.
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By Swistle on Nov 13, 2009
Okay, got some more:
1. Say la vee (or many other unfortunate spellings) for C’est la vie.
2. ALL such spellings of foreign phrases, and why can’t I think of any others now? Dang it.
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
WALLA! PERSAY! And other such travesties!
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By sister on Nov 13, 2009
HA! Walla. People are dumb. You would LOVE, and by love I mean despise, the people I work with. One lady used the phrase “he engulged himself on that pizza” and she didn’t even BLINK. She was also not aware of the fact that cats and dogs have lungs though, so maybe bad example.
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Is that supposed to be indulged?
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By HokieJayBee on Nov 13, 2009
zomg i work with *THAT* guy.
check this out.
http://borderlinetmi.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-hell-exactly-are-you-talking-about.html
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By Delicia on Nov 13, 2009
The wonderful Weird Al illustrates a few of his (and mine):
http://www.twitvid.com/BF9B7
http://www.twitvid.com/EFE89
As you can see, society and government are also perpetuating our grammar deficiencies.
One of my other pet peeves: Anyways UGH
-Del
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By Fyr on Nov 13, 2009
Chalk up another vote for “a mute point”.
I will deliberately break these phrases sometimes because it’s funny. I love Wallace and Grommit’s “prevaricating around the bush”.
Wallah! seems to fall into that category for a lot of people (not all though) – it’s often deliberately misused by people as if to say “haha I can’t spell this and have no idea of the derivation haha” and humanize themselves, even when they are perfectly aware of how to spell it.
It still makes me cringe a bit, but the fact that they are trying does humanize them too.
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Oh there are things I definitely get wrong deliberately, and casual writing does even allow for some deliberate grammatical mistakes for the sake of tone and such. However, in professional writing? Oh hell no.
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By Shizukera on Nov 13, 2009
It’s “used to” and “supposed to,” not “use to” and “suppose to.”
“Anyhoo.”
And so many more. :(
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Good ones! I don’t understand how these mistakes happen, if you just take a moment to think about what you’re actually saying.
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By Adlib on Nov 13, 2009
I have to wonder if this isn’t the most epic blog post TJ has ever done. I love reading these!
In fact, I thought of another peeve. It’s not “enamored with”. It’s “enamored of” which I remember only because it seems so strange to me.
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Oh! That’s like “whence.” It’s stuck out to me for the same reason: I believe it’s just “whence,” not “from whence.”
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By Rhy on Nov 13, 2009
Oh oh oh…I have another one! Nobody has mentioned this one, either, unless I missed it somehow: “good” vs. “well”.
I know SO many people who just use “good” for everything, and it drives me NUTS. “He paints pretty good.” “I think that interview went good.”
WELL, people! It’s an adverb! USE it!
*grumblemutter*
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TJ Reply:
November 13th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Oh that one is just so basic there’s no excuse, not even in casual writing!
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By motobu on Nov 17, 2009
the thing everyone is missing is the level of writing and the intent behind it. as long as you know what i mean, then y does it matter if i use slighly incorrect words? unless it is going to be in some sort of professional publication or paper or something, it’s not relevant. blame the english language. its all screwed up, two many homonyms/synonyms/etc.
yes , i know. did it all on purpose.
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TJ Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
I’m sorry, it does matter. It is relevant. Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation indicate either a lack of education or an abundance of laziness, and it does indeed have an impact on how I view a piece of writing, or if I’ll even bother to read it at all.
It is relevant, and I won’t blame the English language, for while it may be complicated, we are all taught it as a subject in school.
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motobu Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
Poor grammar, spelling and punctuation may indeed indicate either a lack of education or laziness, however, if in the end you understand the intent of the words, then it doesn’t matter. Texting, twittering, emails, are all extremely informal forms of communication. Letters on company letterheads, newspapers, magazines, etc. are subjected to a higher standard, where proper punctuation is much more important.
We are all taught math in school as well, and a similar idea is comparing between a regular person after a days worth of shoppings saying they spent about $100 at the store (if you don’t round your spending, then I’m SURE there is something you do round ~ miles/minutes to a destination, time to get ready in the morning, etc. ) and a NASA scientist doing complex calculus or physics problems. It’s is okay to round basic numbers, but not when your dealing with space ships.
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TJ Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Sorry, I still disagree with you. It does matter. Informal communication refers to the tone, not that it’s 100% acceptable to ignore the rules of grammar. I don’t care how informal the method of communication is, it does indeed matter.
I am more ACCEPTING of the occasional error in informal communication than I am in more professional stuff. However, even if I do understand the intent of the words, I will not continue to read something written by someone who plays fast and loose with grammar and spelling rules just because they “can,” since it’s “informal.”
By motobu on Nov 19, 2009
I suppose that’s your right. I do however have to point out that you are judging the value of the content based on its appearance. If this is the the philosophy behind your general decision making process you will miss out on quite a bit of good content that way.
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By Simetra on Nov 22, 2009
Today’s woot.shirt reminded me of this post.
http://shirt.woot.com/
I want one really bad.
(Still not a Person Who Comments, but I’m gonna work on that this week)
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By Shelly on Jan 7, 2010
I blame the trackback above for my posting.
I really dislike “… all but …” and most of it is probably because I think of the sentence more as a math phrase than anything.
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