Common grammatical errors

[Weedygarden]

I have thought about a thread such as this for many years. Some people may be irritated by just the topic. I don't want to be correcting anyone, but just want to discuss what we know is correct or not, and to maybe understand errors that many of us make or are common. I make grammatical errors and over the years have learned about some of my errors and corrected them. I am far for perfect, but don't we want to be the best we can be? Using good grammar makes us sound not smart.

Correcting others online is considered troll behavior. That is one of the reasons I won't correct someone here or other places. I'm not trying to be a troll, ever.

I am a retired teacher and some people think teachers are never fully retired. I felt it was my responsibility, as a teacher, for my students to know the correct words to use and would help them to understand those terms. I usually brought these up in group discussions and let them give examples. Then when they misused the words or terms, I would review with them the correct term and have them repeat themselves. We learn grammatical errors in our speech from our parents and family, and in turn we teach it to our children and descendants. Has anyone else noticed that correct usage is declining.

In the midst of that, I had a couple of assistants who didn't understand that if they used the wrong term or anything, that was what the children learned, and it becomes a part of their usage. Sometimes it is not easy for an adult to help another adult change something they say or do, or to help them understand that when you work with young children, you have to be and do the best you can.

Tonight on the news, I heard a reference for that strip that runs down the middle of the road, that divides traffic lanes. This is the second time within a few days that I heard someone call it a "medium" when in fact it is a "median." If I were on television, or when I have been, I wouldn't want to be using the wrong terms and sounding ignorant.

The most common error I hear is, "Me and..." When I worked with students on this alone, many children would tell me that is what their parents said. These parents included doctors, lawyers and other well educated people.

What terms do your often hear misused? Or do you notice these things? Does it matter?

 

[joel]

I know my errors put some people teeth on edge.

 

[tiffanysgallery]

Is a misspelled word a grammatical error? Like, your or you're?

When a readers brain notices mistakes, like the missing comma or apostrophe, it could distract a reader from completely understanding the point of the writer.

I overuse the word "that" a lot.

I'm not seeing a spell check on the above toolbar. Are you?

It really doesn't matter to me how others write. It isn't for me to say how they want to present themselves. And, sometimes a mistake makes for a funny post.

Is isn't a word?

I are not as educated, educatied, edjucated as I'd like to think.

And I can ramble... lol

 

[backlash]

You are a former teacher so it's ingrained in you to correct errors.
I'm the opposite, I don't really care if people make spelling or grammar mistakes.
One thing I do detest is a grammar Nazis.
People that correct other people mistakes just so they can feel superior need to find something else to do.
Fortunately I haven't witnessed much of that on this board.

 

[bkt]

Both my parents were English teachers and drilled grammar and spelling just about every waking minute I lived with them. In spite of their best efforts, I mess up reasonably often. In much the same way getting tongue-tied happens, a fubar-of-the-fingers is bound to happen, too.

While I might mentally note a mistake, what's the point in calling someone out on a forum?

I recently interviewed a guy who presented a resume with several spelling and grammar errors. That annoys me. If you can't make the effort to proof-read your resume, or have someone else do it, then you're probably not terribly serious about working. Attention to detail is really important in a situation like that.

 

[phideaux]

I'm the worst offender,

and
I'm also the ding dong that sits and fusses about the punctuation, that caused me to reread a paragraph 2-3 times to figger out what the true meaning was...

I only fuss to myself though.


Jim

 

[Country Living]

I always struggled with using "good" versus "well". I just couldn't grasp the adjective from the adverb because, to me, they were interchangeable. Grimm posted something on the other forum that helped me learn when to use which word. You wrote a good paper and you did it well. I will always be grateful to her for ending my grammatical dilemma.

 

[Meerkat]

A good subject and Weedy did it well..

I always appreciate correction unless it is done in anger or spite.
On the first forum I came on I was really horrible in every type of grammar , spelling whatever. I had never typed one word because of my straight finger I cut off at 3. So teachers didn't insist on me typing.
One lady there told me she couldn't take it anymore and if I could please stop spelling probably 'probly ' [ < correct this sentence]. I have never misspelled that word again. And thanked her for correction. She was a nice person so I knew it wasn't personal.
For past 50 years of having raising kids, grandkids and not being in the company of many adult's you do lose a lot of social graces.

 

[Woody]

That is the one phrase my Father drove into his children: "It is a good job and you did it well."

 

[Weedygarden]

You are a former teacher so it's ingrained in you to correct errors.
I'm the opposite, I don't really care if people make spelling or grammar mistakes.
One thing I do detest is a grammar Nazis.
People that correct other people mistakes just so they can feel superior need to find something else to do.
Fortunately I haven't witnessed much of that on this board.

I totally agree with you. People that correct other people's mistake do need to find something else to do. As a former teacher, I do notice errors, but I don't point them out. It doesn't serve anyone to do so, except to help children learn correct usage, by having conversations about it when someone is not being put on the spot.

I have hesitated to start this post because I don't want to point out anyone's errors. I don't feel the need to correct others. I do like to discuss topics relative to grammar though.

When I was in college, there was a classmate whose major was the same as mine, and we were a small group. She was a classic narcissist and spent so much energy on feeling superior and correcting others about all kinds of things, including grammar. I never once corrected her when she would say, "Me and..." That was just not allowed by teachers when I was growing up so it bothered me, but she never knew that.

I was 40 years old when I finally figured this out: I is used in the subject of a sentence and me is used in the predicate. "Me and backlash agree," is not correct but is an example of one of the most commonly misused grammatical errors. "Backlash and me" is not correct. Backlash and I is correct usage. "Backlash does not want to discuss grammar with me" is correct usage but may not be factually accurate.

 

[TMT Tactical]

@Weedygarden : Leave me alone, quit picking on me and my grammar. It's not my fault , I had bad parrents. :sarcasm: Okay fun over, I am the worst for grammar and spelling. I proof read everything I post several time and then have to go back and edit my posts for the mistakes I missed. (I left mis-spelled Parents on purpose, so there). Thanks for the post, it did help me with some of my usual mistakes, but I don't promise any improvements.

 

[Weedygarden]

@Weedygarden : Leave me alone, quit picking on me and my grammar. It's not my fault , I had bad parrents. :sarcasm: Okay fun over, I am the worst for grammar and spelling. I proof read everything I post several time and then have to go back and edit my posts for the mistakes I missed. (I left mis-spelled Parents on purpose, so there). Thanks for the post, it did help me with some of my usual mistakes, but I don't promise any improvements.

LOL! It doesn't matter except when you hear it on the news and know that they have missed something.

It is just a point of discussion here. We each have our own gifts, and no one should be put down or harassed for their lack of something.

 

[TMT Tactical]

LOL! It doesn't matter except when you hear it on the news and know that they have missed something.

It is just a point of discussion here. We each have our own gifts, and no one should be put down or harassed for their lack of something.

Your post was a welcome and informative post, no troll action at all. My biggest problem is with typing, my minds works a lot faster then my fingers. I have repeat typo's and incomplete sentences, while move from one thought to the next. I really did like your post but could not resist poking fun. I am a bod boy!!!

 

[phideaux]

Ha! You wish you were a Bod boy...




Jim

 

[TMT Tactical]

Ha! You wish you were a Bod boy...




Jim

See what I mean, proof read and still a typo. But I kinda like the Bod boy so I am not going to change it. So there.

 

[Weedygarden]

Your post was a welcome and informative post, no troll action at all. My biggest problem is with typing, my minds works a lot faster then my fingers. I have repeat typo's and incomplete sentences, while move from one thought to the next. I really did like your post but could not resist poking fun. I am a bod boy!!!

There are people who have had others put them down because of whatever. I expected some backlash, and not just our friend, backlash.

 

[TMT Tactical]

@Weedygarden : Am mis-reading or do you feel I was offering some backlash. If so I am sorry, that was not my intention at all. I felt and feel your post was very well done and well intentioned. I am sorry for any misunderstandings.

I just re-read your post and I think there is a complete misunderstanding of your message and Backlash. I don't think Backlash was pointing his post at but at Grammar Nazies (which you are not). When I read your post I thought you were talking about me and I think when you read Backlash's post, you thought he was talking about you. At least that is how I am taking it.

 

[Weedygarden]

@Weedygarden : Am mis-reading or do you feel I was offering some backlash. If so I am sorry, that was not my intention at all. I felt and feel your post was very well done and well intentioned. I am sorry for any misunderstandings.

Nah, not you or anyone, yet. But I do expect that someone might be offended. I am just wanting discussion, no bashing of others and whatever mistakes any of us might make.

 

[TMT Tactical]

Nah, not you or anyone, yet. But I do expect that someone might be offended. I am just wanting discussion, no bashing of others and whatever mistakes any of us might make.

Nah, you did real good and I most certainly appreciate any help I can get with my written phrase. You did not attack anybody and only offered helpful information, so I thank you for your post.

 

[DrPrepper]

Weedy,
I am in the same boat as you. After so many years of writing papers for school, and then teaching at the college level, I wince when I see or hear bad grammar (but I do it to myself so I don't hurt feelings or step on toes!). It doesn't help that I am married to a retired English teacher! I would not correct people, though, especially in an online forum where good intentions could be missed. I have gotten a few good laughs, though. One of my colleagues wrote something and asked me to proofread it. She wrote she wouldn't take something "for granite". I asked her if she would take it for quartz or sandstone. (It took her a few minutes to get the pun!)

 

[Weedygarden]

Weedy,
I am in the same boat as you. After so many years of writing papers for school, and then teaching at the college level, I wince when I see or hear bad grammar (but I do it to myself so I don't hurt feelings or step on toes!). It doesn't help that I am married to a retired English teacher! I would not correct people, though, especially in an online forum where good intentions could be missed. I have gotten a few good laughs, though. One of my colleagues wrote something and asked me to proofread it. She wrote she wouldn't take something "for granite". I asked her if she would take it for quartz or sandstone. (It took her a few minutes to get the pun!)

Hilarious!

 

[Weedygarden]

I see mistakes that I make and I see mistakes that others make. When I see my mistakes, I try to correct them. But what about the mistakes that I don't realize that I make? In other aspects of life, when I make a mistake and someone points it out, a simple thank you is what I give. For the narcissistic critic, I give them a wide berth, or lots of space.

 

[Amish Heart]

I see spelling mistakes all the time. I hate them. But I ignore them on forums, because they are possibly just typing mistakes. I do those all the time. Some spelling mistakes that have driven me crazy: a middle school wall painted with "Boy's Bathroom". It should be Boys' Bathroom. It was painted a foot high on the wall. Saw a cute painted old newpaper box for a 'free library' outside our minibook. It's a take a book, give a book; and the box was painted and decorated by girl scouts. They painted a unicorn on the side and it read: I love unicorns and I love dog's . Granddaughter saw it, too. I interviewed someone for a teaching position and she presented me with a resume that said she was the Valley Victorian of her class.

 

[Weedygarden]

I see spelling mistakes all the time. I hate them. But I ignore them on forums, because they are possibly just typing mistakes. I do those all the time. Some spelling mistakes that have driven me crazy: a middle school wall painted with "Boy's Bathroom". It should be Boys' Bathroom. It was painted a foot high on the wall. Saw a cute painted old newpaper box for a 'free library' outside our minibook. It's a take a book, give a book; and the box was painted and decorated by girl scouts. They painted a unicorn on the side and it read: I love unicorns and I love dog's . Granddaughter saw it, too. I interviewed someone for a teaching position and she presented me with a resume that said she was the Valley Victorian of her class.

If the valedictorian of that school didn't know better, you have to wonder about the rest of the class? On the other hand, there are people who embellish resumes.

Growing up, I was a natural speller. I got 100% on spelling tests except for 2 times growing up. I still remember those. I spelled "warsh" instead of "wash" in second grade. In 7th grade I misspelled a word that I no longer remember. I find spelling more challenging now.

In my genealogy work, I have learned that spelling wasn't as big a deal a couple centuries ago. If a name was spelled following a phonetic rule, even if it wasn't consistently spelled the same way, it did not matter as much as it does now.

 

[Meerkat]

If the valedictorian of that school didn't know better, you have to wonder about the rest of the class? On the other hand, there are people who embellish resumes.

Growing up, I was a natural speller. I got 100% on spelling tests except for 2 times growing up. I still remember those. I spelled "warsh" instead of "wash" in second grade. In 7th grade I misspelled a word that I no longer remember. I find spelling more challenging now.

In my genealogy work, I have learned that spelling wasn't as big a deal a couple centuries ago. If a name was spelled following a phonetic rule, even if it wasn't consistently spelled the same way, it did not matter as much as it does now.

I was good at spelling too. Learned to spell by syllable's back then, mostly from Bible. All Bibles had words with syl-la-ble's.
WHOOP'S. Busy so excuse please.

 

[Patchouli]

Autocorrect is frequently incorrect and nobody bothers to correct autocorrect's mistakes because they think it must be...correct. I think that's how or why a lot of mistakes are made now.

 

[Meerkat]

Autocorrect is frequently incorrect and nobody bothers to correct autocorrect's mistakes because they think it must be...correct. I think that's how or why a lot of mistakes are made now.

Every time I try to improve something on my laptop it makes it worse so I don't use anything. No spell check is obvious,lol.

 

[SheepDog]

I use a spelling checker but it is set up so that I have to make the correction. THAT way I learn to spell the word and not just know it was wrong. The dictionary that it uses is not very good with certain words so I have to look them up in the dictionary that I have close by. Then I can add the word to the dictionary. I get to learn and teach the dictionary at the same time.

 

[Meerkat]

I use a spelling checker but it is set up so that I have to make the correction. THAT way I learn to spell the word and not just know it was wrong. The dictionary that it uses is not very good with certain words so I have to look them up in the dictionary that I have close by. Then I can add the word to the dictionary. I get to learn and teach the dictionary at the same time.

Good idea but I'm up to my neck in learning lessons now a days so I just hope y'all forgive me.
I just used Google to spell Huguenot because it was really unreconizeble.

 

[Caribou]

On one of the forums that I joined early on in my internet experience another member didn't like my opinion so he said that if i wasn't smart enough to spell correctly that my opinion wasn't correct either. I pointed out that the dictionary listed two correct spellings for that word. I was feeling rather peeved and vicious at his rudeness so I was particularly polite in my response, leaving him looking the fool. He left me alone after that.

One mistake I see regularly is the mixing up of then and than. Then having to do with a time difference, I ate the pie then I ate the cake. Than denoting a difference or choice, I'd rather eat the pie than the cake. I not only see this on the forums but also in the media.

My niece is in college and asked me to proof read a paper for a class she was having problems with. Any homonym could be dropped into a sentence. I made several corrections and gave it back to her. "Do you think he'd take off for that?" said she. "I would," was my response.

I've had people correct me here but always playfully. I enjoy that.