^^^ I don't think there's anything wrong with code-switching.

Thank you for saying something. I was going to say that it's pretty socially inept to go around correcting people's speech in every day life. Don't correct someone unless that person has asked to be corrected.

I hope this one hasn't been mentioned yet: I just noticed one of my co-workers pronounces "especially" as "ecspecially". I was mildly irked the first time, and ready to scratch her eyes out after she said it about 10 more times during our conversation.

Not technically a grammar peeve - but alumnae who say "I WAS an ABC". No, you ARE an ABC. Unless you were kicked out. If that's the case, well okay. You WERE an ABC. This happens a great deal in wedding announcements.

Or, if a man, alumnus.

not sure if this counts as grammar, maybe more of a vocabulary thing, but when people try to use words to seem smart, but use them in the complete opposite way.

For Example:

"That's germaine(sp?) to the conversation, why don't we stay on topic?"

Kind of like people who use "penultimate" to mean "absolute highest."

Along the same lines, it really peeves me when people use "myself" in place of "I" or "me." It often seems as if people do this because they think it sounds more educated (or, as my 7-year-old daughter said last night, "educationed."*) And I find it especially humorous when one uses "Myself" instead of "I" in the same sentence where one describes oneself as intelligent, as in "Myself and 9 other intelligent ladies are reactivating a chapter."** :rolleyes:


* She described someone as not having been "very well educationed." Then she paused, gave me a funny smile and a giggle and said "That's not a real word, is it?"

** Hey, at least I didn't crash the thread she started and call her on it there. :D

These 2 are my biggest peeves

Plural for man is men NOT mens. OY!

I can SO relate to this--don't EVEN get me started!

Regarding the apostrophe issue, an apostrophe may be used to form a plural if its use will avoid confusion. However, in irishpipe's two examples, I don't think the lack of an apostrophe would cause confusion.

Here’s one… not using periods!

There have been quite a few posts lately from people who appear to feel as though reaching their right ring finger down just a little bit from the L key is too much work. Or.. they think comma = period. THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

Oh, and then they whine and complain because GCers criticize their writing instead of answering their questions :rolleyes:

Ok, I thought of what I think is a new one. It bugs me when an ad says "Save 50-60% off". No, no! You take 50-60% off, and you save 50-60%. No off. Blah! I know what "take off" means, but what the heck is "save off"??

er.... isn't there a non-verbal, or i guess, non-written "...the original price" at the end of that phrase?

ie: "Save 50-60% off the original price."

It makes sense to me.

Hmmm I dunno...I think I would still say "take 50-60% off the original price." I can't wrap my brain around it...

Nah, you made sense to me.

Yes, I too loathe the use of "myself" in place of "I" or "me". I also hear this in restaurants when the server is taking your order: "And for yourself?" It drives me crazy and if I wasn't such a nice person, I would correct them publicly.

My other 2 favorites:
apart vs. a part and
"Congradulations" for those who are confusing "congratulations" with "graduation". SIGH.

My dad corrected a server once, but he was a real jerk about it. She said "For youself?" and he said "Myself would like some..."

We were really wary of eating the food that day.

Yeah, maybe I would mention it at the END of a meal, when they couldn't spit in my food anymore. :p;)

Oh, I was at a hockey game and they introduced a female Olympic gold medallist and they said that she was an "alumnus" of such and such university. Being that she was female, this annoyed me immensely. Then, being the nerd that I am, I looked here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alumnus where it says:
" : a person who has attended or has graduated from a particular school, college, or university " (i.e. it doesn't say anything about male or female).

I wonder if "alumnus" is going the same route as the term "actor"; that is, they have done away with the term "actress" and just call everyone "actors" now. Thoughts anyone?

I think it's like gender agreement in other languages (French, Spanish, etc.) where use of the male gender is acceptable when not speaking about yourself or to the person directly. But I'm not sure.

Am I a terrible person for looking down on posters--usually college students--who post without apostrophes (for example, im instead of I'm)? I know, I know, texting, blah blah blah, but there isn't a limitation on the number of characters here. You just look illiterate.

Rules for the Apostrophe
 

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is a difference between that and who, and having to see it viewed improperly makes me :mad:

Why does the abbreviated "alum" bother you? Just that it's not legit?

I bothers me because it is incorrect, and there are terms that are more appropriate.

Also, how much harder is it to type an "a" or an "ae"?:)

How is it incorrect? Informal, sure, but alum (which is in the dictionary as an informal form of alumnus/i/a/ae) is no more incorrect than dorm, fridge or grad student.

When I see official banners at a University functions that say Alums, but everything else is advertised as Alumni it isn't sticking with a consistent style (note the Alumni Office didn't do this, it was an individual College/department). I also agree with SWTX, it isn't that hard to add the letters.

Just pick a style and stick with it for consistency, bu I also think a lot of people don't know the differences among alumna, alumnus, alumnae, and alumni.

If you graduate college, you should be able to identify yourself and your fellow gradutes correctly. :)

I agree with both the idea of consistency and that Universities should not have banners that say "Alums." But the example that KSUViolet gave was Facebook. In my view, "alums" in university publications =/= appropriate. But on Facebook, not a big deal to me.

I <3 my TA. She made a point to tell the class that "would of" is NOT something you should write, let alone in a college essay. When spoken, people are shortening "would have" to "would've." You definitely shouldn't write, "He would of discussed the paper with the class..." Ahhhh!

She made another semi-anal correction that I was excited about in a grammatically sensitive nerd kind of way.

It irks me how often people use the word "chapter" incorrectly. I recently saw the website of a local sorority that referred to their chapter. A local! And in other places, people will write, "Which chapter should come to our campus in the expansion?" Ahem. "Chapter" and "sorority" are not interchangeable.

Things that irk me regarding grammar:

*Not knowing the difference between your and you're.
*Not knowing the difference between their, there, and they're.
*It's not conversate. It's converse.
*When someone tries to call someone else a moron while doing something completely moronic. An example: Your an idiot. *face palm*

The communication specialist for my local school district (where I live, not where I teach) posted on facebook that an event happens on Monday's and Thursday's....I cringed. I wondered if I should send her a polite PM, since it's her job. But I didn't.

You definitely should. I'd be embarrassed to say I attended that school if the people in charge can't get something basic like that correct. I'm cringing with you.

In the electronic filing system we use at work, the application has "drawers" that are set up according to each department. It's essentially supposed to mimic a paper environment and the filing cabinet system.

We received an instructional email the other day from someone high up in home office, and throughout the email, she referenced the DRAW we need to open:

"Please select an ImageRight draw and file type…"

I thought it was just a mistake, but she used the word 4 more times throughout the email. The worst part: in the area of the application with the drawer dropdown, it literally says "Drawer: " right next to it. :rolleyes:

I second all those and I'll add another category: people who try to use a common expression and get it wrong. For example, "Wallah" for "Voila!" and phased for fazed. Or someone who waits with baited breath, not bated breath. And how about "this passed week"...gahh.

I think you can distinguish people who read lots of books from people who don't read at all by reading their Internet posts. If you're a reader, you are more familiar with good grammar and spelling than if you don't read at all.

There's a facebook page for the tiny town in Maine where I grew up called "You know your from Rumford Maine ,if" and that pretty much sums up what you'll read there. Not everyone who posts there is a total hick, though, there were a lot of jokes about how the 8th grade English teacher, who was a legendary and terrifying grammar tyrant, is probably spinning in her grave at the title of the page!

[QUOTE=AOIILisa;2298541]I second all those and I'll add another category: people who try to use a common expression and get it wrong. For example, "Wallah" for "Voila!" QUOTE]

I just laughed out loud at this ...."Wallah" :)

I dislike it when people fail to properly use the infinitive. The car does not need washed. The car needs to be washed.

There, Wallah! all better now. :)

And along this same line, it annoys me when people say jagwires instead of jaguars. I just heard this several times on sports radio.