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.
"I know you're, but what am I?"
It's common and normal to use the neuter when discussing animals of unknown gender.
According to WritersDigest.com:
An animal is referred as “it” unless the relationship is personal (like a pet that has a name). Then it’s OK to use “he” or “she” when referring to the animal. This also applies to using “who” and “whom.” If the animal has a personal relationship with the person, then use “who” or “whom.” Otherwise you must exclusively use “which” or “that.” Here’s an example that incorporates both of these rules:Personal: My horse, whom I call Steve, is my best friend. He comforts me when I ride him.
Generic: The stray dog, which I saw chasing its own tail, was shedding hair.
The “personal” rule also holds true if you’re writing a kids book and the animals can talk—as you’re giving them human traits and making them characters your readers can get to know. Even if the animals don’t have specific names, they are given personalities and this is enough to make them personal.
It's also OK to use personal pronouns when an animal's gender is known and relevant. E.g., "The bitch being in heat, she attracted male dogs from all around."
The public schools don’t teach such useless things as grammar and spelling any more. My wife is a public school teacher but she teaches SPec-Ed kids and is ignored by Administration so she gets to teach such things to the ones who are capable of it.Some of her LD first graders at the end of the school year read, write and speak better than do mainstream kids in 2nd and 3rd grades .
I hear this a lot...
You ask a person how they are. They answer something like “Fine, and yourself?”
It should be “...and you?”
I noticed this about 15 years ago and it really grates on me. It’s the equivalent of saying “I’m fine. How are yourself?”.
Yes, we all do it. About 90% of us.
It’s a hard habit to break when it is everywhere, including TV!
Cudda
Shudda
My pet peeve is the substitution of “to do” for action verbs. Without extending our vocabulary, we fail to express our intended meanings.
That is one angry flour!
Huh? What am I missing?
You are putting apostrophes on them as if plural, but the examples are for singular usage. I have never heard of NOT using them just because it’s not human.
“We are going to grab a quick bite to eat and then head back to the office.”
“We are going...” Who talks like dat?
The ABC/CBS/NBC/Fox readers speak as though they are captioning the video images that accompany the news.
They can't compose and speak a complete sentence to save their lives.
Does one write too much or to much (serious question)?
Equality in education will assure the masses are all slackjawed morons. You didn't think they were trying to make everyone smart?
Ask v ax.
Sorry, that is racist.
5.56mm
There is no such thing as “concerning” in that context; it should be “of concern”. Fox people are using this more and more, and radio. I hate it. That legitimizes the idiots.
And here I thought you had more than one frog.
You have experienced Pennsylvania, the only region that does that unbelievable nonsense.
Never mind “let” vs “leave” and other egregious errors only they use.
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