Grammatical Errors - Pet Peeve

[LauraGB]

Laura, wouldn't "unthaw" mean "to freeze"? Although, that would be a really weird way to say it. Or, maybe it would mean "to freeze again after a period of thawing"?

 

I'm unfreezing some chicken on the counter as we...."speak". ;)

 

Yes! That's why it drives me crazy. My whole family, dh's family and several other people I know say "unthaw". Although, my mom doesn't say it anymore because I explained it to her years ago. Maybe it's a regional thing?

[Parrothead]

Even worse yet: "myself."

 

"Myself and Bob ate dinner." :ack2:

I just want to :smash: beat people about the head and shoulders over that.

[ThatCyndiGirl]

RE: myself.....

 

I think that some people think that saying or writing "myself" is more formal than using the word 'me', even when 'me' is appropriate.

 

Example: "If you have any questions feel free to ask Parrothead or myself." instead of "ask Parrothead or me". I tend to think of it this way: If I took the other person (Parrothead, in this case) out of the equation altogether would "myself" sound right? Would I say or write "ask myself if you have any questions" or would I write/say "ask me if you have any questions"?

[*Inna*]

Regarding English, I have no other choice but to be very tolerant, being that I myself butcher the language quite often and I might not even be aware of some nuances.

:iagree: And I apologize to all the members of this board. :D

[Mandy in TN]

My husband and two of my children are dyslexic. I no longer pass judgement or let it bother me.

:iagree:Oldest ds is dyslexic.

 

being that I myself butcher the language quite often and I might not even be aware of some nuances.

:iagree:Dh is Persian.

 

However, having said this IRL...

 

hisself is not a word

 

himself herself

 

This is the one that makes me growl.

 

My middle ds is adamant about may and can.

May I play with you? versus Can I play with you?

 

OTOH- I am not picky on forums. If someone is trying to type something on a forum or for that matter in a quick e-mail reply, grammar is not graded. I try to just respond to the message and not grade the composition. After all when I have a need or question, I just want it answered. I don't want to be graded on my grammar, spelling, or typing skills. I try to extend that same courtesy to others.

 

Mandy

[Imprimis]

No, actually, I was disappointed to learn "myriad of" was not only acceptable, but the older of the two forms, as I always enjoyed correcting people on that one. :)

 

No worries! I'm sure there's a myriad (;)) of grammatical mistakes out there just waiting for correction :D

[Hedgehog]

I'm sure I make loads of grammatical mistakes. I think my spelling is pretty good, but grammar? :lol: There is a reason for this. We learned absolutely NO grammar at school; I'm just beginning to learn it with my dc (think Rod and Staff Grades 2/3 on a good day). But we did have spelling tests in one of the schools I went to.

 

If I see mistakes, I'd prefer to think that the person either isn't bothered themselves, or never had the chance to learn - either way, it isn't deliberately done to annoy anyone! :001_smile:

[Oak Knoll Mom]

I betcha I'm guilty of that. I can't remember how to spell definitely so if the spell checker gives me a suggestion of defiantly I've probably clicked it while in a hurry. :D

 

I always had problems with definitely until someone pointed out that it has the word finite in it. Definitely helps me remember how to spell it!

[Teachaheart]

See, in Aspie logic, it works this way - if you're using myriad as a noun, and the rule is "you can put a _____ of" you should be able to interchange it with its noun definitions:

 

ten thousand --> a ten thousand of --> a myriad of

 

a great number of --> a myriad of

 

 

It works for "a great number of", but there is no such animal as "a ten thousand of."

 

I guess I look at it differently than the majority.

 

 

a

 

Maybe it will help to know that there is such a creature in Japanese. :001_smile:

[stripe]

Maybe it will help to know that there is such a creature in Japanese. :001_smile:

And there's a 100,000 creature that lives in the Indian subcontinent.

 

I hate offers to "service" me. It's "serve." Really.

 

Niloufer Ichaporia King says in her cookbook about the issue of "can you freeze this food?" that one can freeze anything. It's how well it comes out when thawed that's the real question.

[Ellie]

:lol::lol::lol:

[StaceyinLA]

I'm with Mrs. Mungo on the apostrophes! That is probably my biggest grammar pet peeve. A close second, however, is the use of your instead of you're. :confused:

[Greta]

In both languages, however, one of my pet peeves is "alternative" used in plural. Alter means "the other of the two", not just any other. You cannot have multiple alternatives - you can have multiple options, but you can speak of an alternative only in cases in which you have two options and one is the alternative for the other one.

 

Well, I have to confess I am guilty of this one. I did not even know that I was doing anything wrong! So I will try to be aware of that and not make that mistake in the future.

 

One that bugs me is when people confuse accept and except. Recently, I was reading a blog in which the writer was quoting someone else. Within the quotation he had inserted sic after the word 'except', even though the original writer had used 'except' correctly! :lol:

 

ETA: I'm not sure if this counts as a "grammatical" error, but I have literally cringed when people have misused the word 'literally'! People often use it as it if it emphasizes what they are saying, without regard for the actual meaning of the word. I once overheard a conversation in Target in which a woman was complaining about her mother's reaction to an illness. Her friend commented that the mother really seemed to be milking it for all it was worth. She responded, "Yeah, literally!" :svengo:

Edited November 7, 2010 by GretaLynne
grammatical error :-P

[justasque]

You'all (;)) might enjoy the Grammar Girl podcast - she does a short audio blurb on a different grammar/usage question each episode. Fun and informative, plus of course free! (Go to the iTunes store and search "grammar girl" to find it.)