March 4, 2009
National Grammar Day
Did you know that today is National Grammar Day? I didn’t, but thank you, Charlie, for bringing it to my attention in your Facebook status. In observance of this little-publicized but much-needed calendar day, I thought I’d let my readers know three things that really bug me.
1. Putting an apostrophe in every word that ends with s. You did not have dinner with the Felio’s last night. You did not buy lot’s of egg’s on your trip’s to the grocery store last week. Come on, people!
2. Using your in place of you’re. You’re going to get in big trouble because you didn’t put your dishes in the dishwasher this morning. Get it straight.
3. Using I when me is correct. I hear it everywhere: “John shared his candy with Mary and I.” Would you say, “John shared his candy with I”? Of course not! Despite those early-childhood grammar corrections that were drilled into our brains, sometimes me really is correct. And whatever you do, please do not select your pronoun case just to make the lines of your song rhyme! I’m specifically referring to the Newsboys song “Something Beautiful,” in which they sing, “… When we laugh so hard we cry / It’s the love between you and I…” Ugh! I have to change the station every time I hear that song come on. If the correct pronoun doesn’t rhyme, then re-write your song!
So what really bugs you? Let’s have it!
Comments(7)
You hit it with the your/you’re – also their/they’re. I also dislike it when people mix up its/it’s and affect/effect.
Grammar day… what a great idea!
You honed in on some of the worst ones out there.
I was gonna add to your list, but then I realized that the example I had was more of a spelling error than a grammatical one. (a person say “loose” when he/she really means “lose”)
My boss mentions “dependants” in email all the time. I’m like “dependEnts!” with an E!!! get it right!
My most hated is their/they’re/there and your/you’re. I think those bug me the most because they are the easiest to get right. It’s not like put/place and lie/lay. Those are hard.
There really are no grammar mistakes that send me over the edge, probably because I am the one making them most of the time:) What really bugs me is when people don’t return their shopping buggies to the buggy corral (I don’t know what those are called). Oh, and double parking, if you don’t want your car hit, park way out and walk. Good grammar mistakes to point out though, I am all about changing what is wrong and passing it on my littles!
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Oh, the I/me thing drives me crazy!
You got me super excited with the apostrophes one!!! Seriously, I am starting to think I learned English from a different planet! Well, a different country, but, you’ve just vindicated me!! :) Were you an English major at Hendrix?
Gosh, now I can’t go to bed. Plural is not a reason to apostrophize! Now, I KNOW that’s not a word!