Grammar Pet Peeves

[KSUViolet06]

This is a big pet peeve of mine:

If you are an XYZ, and you graduate from college, you are an XYZ alumna.

You are not an "XYZ alumn."

You are not an "XYZ alumni."

You are not an "XYZ alumnae."

[SWTXBelle]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This is a big pet peeve of mine:

If you are an XYZ, and you graduate from college, you are an XYZ alumna.

You are not an "XYZ alumn."

You are not an "XYZ alumni."

You are not an "XYZ alumnae."

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.

[kstar]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This is a big pet peeve of mine:

If you are an XYZ, and you graduate from college, you are an XYZ alumna.

You are not an "XYZ alumn."

You are not an "XYZ alumni."

You are not an "XYZ alumnae."

Or, if a man, alumnus.

[RU OX Alum]

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?"

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

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."**


* 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.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Along the same lines, it really peeves me when people use "myself" in place of "I" or "me." 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."**

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.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by CutiePie2000

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 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.

[CutiePie2000]

Originally Posted by alphagamzetagam

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.

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?