Grammar Pet Peeves

[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.

[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*

[AOIILisa]

Originally Posted by 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*

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!

[TonyB06]

[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.

[tinydancer]

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

[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.