She dindu nuffin to you.
Posted on 08/30/2015 10:38:18 AM PDT by B4Ranch
Proper grammar seems to be a thing of the past -- why stress about tiny technicalities, right? Wrong.
You should be a grammar stickler for many reasons. Do you want to risk turning off potential clients, employers and connections because of grammatical mistakes?
Many people are so concerned with what they are saying in an email or text message that they completely forget to pay attention to how they are saying it. If you chose to turn grammar mode off when you are communicating with friends, that is one thing, but there is absolutely no reason to send a professional communication that contains errors.
Here are six grammatical errors that are so simple, yet such common offenders. Make sure you aren’t making them.
This is probably the most common mistake I see on social media, in text messages and in emails. This one is real simple -- if you are trying to say “you are” then “you’re” is correct. If you are talking about something that belongs to you, such as “your car” then you use “your.”
Many people confuse these and don’t even realize they are doing it. It’s real easy -- “two” is a number, “too” is an adverb that means “also,” and “to” is a preposition used to express motion, direction, limit of movement, contact, a point of limit in time, purpose, intention and destination -- to name a few.
For example:
“I would like to become an entrepreneur.”
“I too would like to become an entrepreneur.”
What should have been squared away in third grade continues to haunt grammar police on a daily basis. The there/their/they’re mistake is common -- but it’s really simple to avoid.
Use “they’re” when you are trying to say “they are.”
“Their” should be used when you are indicating possession.
Finally, “there” needs to be used when referring to a location.
Example: "They're going to love working there. Their company culture is amazing!"
This one is really just pure laziness rather than a grammatical mistake. Texting has completely ruined grammar and you/u is a perfect example. I understand that “u” is perfectly acceptable if you are texting a friend and are in a rush -- but it’s not acceptable in a professional email.
Here is an excerpt of an email I received last week from a C-level executive who is in charge of a company that does business worth several hundreds of millions of dollars every year:
… that would be gr8! Talk to u soon!
He managed to nail two text slangs back to back like a champ. Again, if it was a text message, fine -- but a professional email is no place for this. This email is actually what sparked me to write this article, so thank you grammatically challenged C-level executive.
When you are talking about time you use “then” and when you are making a comparison you use “than.” It really shouldn’t be that difficult to distinguish what one to use:
“We are going to grab a quick bite to eat and then head back to the office.”
“This new software update is much better than the previous version.”
This one confuses a lot of people, mainly due to the apostrophe, which typically symbolizes possession. Use “it’s” when you are trying to say “it is” and use “its” when you are looking for the possessive form of “it.”
“I looked at its owners manual to get the correct settings.”
“It’s a beautiful day outside.”
What are some other grammar mishaps that drive you nuts? Share them in the comments section below.
thass a dolla wuffa gas.
We need to redouble our grammatical efforts once again. Irregardless of the challenge.
Nevah Venny, Nevah!
While we’re at it, let’s stamp out apostrophe abuse. Use of apostrophe’s to pluralize word’s drives me nut’s!
The problem with latter day grammar, as well as spelling, is that these subjects are not actually taught in public school so as not to offend minority students or “disrespect” their patois.
Could of
Should of
Wudda, cudda, shudda. Much better!
But when you get right down to it,
"What difference, at this point, does it make?"
that is a sweet dysfunction.
I'm not informed enough to be a grammar Nazi but there are a couple of grammar issues that annoys me.
Using the word "gender" when referring to human sex such as gender related instead of sex related.
We got married instead of we married or the preacher married us.
Get the second one for free instead of get the second one free.
I agree.
And 2nd the post adding lose/loose.
Never mind definAtely.
Oh, I cannot stand the stupidity!
OK, I have long complied with all six examples.
However, I don’t totally agree with #4. Texting
has helped a new generation to learn to
appreciate the uses of the written word and
how important reading is to the culture.
Y’all is plural, not singular.
You all is singular.
Thank you for the link... it may take me a bit of time to ingrain the differentiation, but one thing is evident, I’ve been watching too many John Kerry speachifyings...
“At its worst, the use of whom becomes a form of one-upmanship some employ to appear sophisticated.”
It seems the Vanity Nazis should track you down as a Grammar Nazi...
Try reading the gibberish of a legal writ. They are so called professional wordsmiths. Yet no one but a person with a Judicial degree can understand what they are saying. They love words especially ones very seldom if even used even in the history of the nation. Look at out founding documents. Anyone can read them and have a general understanding. Petition a court today and try to understand what the writ says. Good Luck.
Many, if not most persons who built this nation in 1700-early 1900's in fact had poor grammar and penmanship. We survived as a nation. Loved ones who for example saw the last words of a coal miner written in his final hours trapped under ground did not care if poppa spelled correctly. The minority of Americans had the grammar and penmanship skills of today even with errors. Of all the problems and issues we face this is amongst the bottom of the barrel of things destroying our nation.
I'd rather hear the words of a farmers opinion errors and all and certainly know and understand what he is saying than someone who writes in levels so advanced no one understand or would likely even care what they are saying.
Today's grammar by the way is not the grammar the persons that first came to our shores used. That died out in the 1600's. Customs change and so do languages. Even languages based in Latin have a huge variant region to region.
They use higher energy fuel to further their goal of driving farther.
Further was ken Kesey’s bus.
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