Grammar Pet Peeves

[Shellfish]

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.

[FHwku]

http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp

[VandalSquirrel]

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

[KSUViolet06]

This has been driving me nuts when I see it on Facebook:

If you are a member of a sorority, and you graduate from college, you are an XYZ ALUMNA


You are not an "XYZ alumnae."

You're not an "XYZ alum."

You're not an "XYZ alumni"

[UGAalum94]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

This has been driving me nuts when I see it on Facebook:

If you are a member of a sorority, and you graduate from college, you are an XYZ ALUMNA


You are not an "XYZ alumnae."

You're not an "XYZ alum."

You're not an "XYZ alumni"

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

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

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.

[SWTXBelle]

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

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

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

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.

[VandalSquirrel]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

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.

[SWTXBelle]

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

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

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.

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.

[LucyKKG]

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.

[Shellfish]

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.

[als463]

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*

[IndianaSigKap]

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.