It just came back on, so that rumor I heard that some knucklehead snapped a utility pole in a car crash, w/ the transformer on it, was just that, a rumor.
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 see ‘should of’ all the time instead of should’ve.
Whenever I’m unsure which to use, I just type “impact” and spare them both.
LOLOL! This is the one that I spend time trying to figure out and eventually end up rewording my entire sentence to omit the word!
I hope I remember to use "impact". It will save me a lot of time! :)
I know......get rid of the "Women's studies" classes!
My son, a Computer Science major at one of the UC schools in the early 2000's, had to take such a class. For this, we got the pleasure of paying for a class that would never help his major in the slightest bit.
Women's Studies......Grrrrrrr!
Bravo to your entire post!
Whenever I hear somebody say, “....we were conversating....,” or he/she ‘commentated’ on this or that,” it just tells me how far we’ve sunk into entropy with the movie “Idiocracy.”
Can’t belive u reached that far back into muh posting history....
LOL
I know that’s correct but sometimes for clarity the apostrophe is helful, as in “Oakland A’s” for “Oakland As”
my daughter says I am not allowed to use Foo-Foo as a noun or a verb or an adverb or an adjective.
I still think she’s wrong.
There are many people writing on forums who have no grammatical sense. Most of the time it comes out in vanities. I stop reading when the writer displays their laziness for the world to behold.
It just came back on, so that rumor I heard that some knucklehead snapped a utility pole in a car crash, w/ the transformer on it, was just that, a rumor.
I’m confident that texting is behind people forgetting how to speak properly. The grammar part of the question, well let’s just say that the quality of teachers isn’t quite what it used to be. The multitude of spelling mistakes are more proof that we need to raise the entry levels for teachers. Having parents that give a damn is a big part of the solution too.
Good one!
My trick is to use “it/its” wherever “he/his” would work.
Likewise “who/whom” vs. “he/him”.
Current pet peeves:
“Toe the line” not “Tow” Comes from putting your toe on the line as in a race.
Leaving out the “of” - as in, “A couple folks were telling me....”
Lightening for lightning.
Pronouncing shrimp as “srimp” or “strimp”
Pronouncing sherbet as “sher bert”
Stress causes cancer. Give up sweating that there’s folks who aren’t well educated in our society. Generally it’s those who aren’t inquisitive. I can’t think of any way to increase their inquisitiveness. They’ll muddle through it without knowing that they occasionally make mistakes, as we all do.
How old R U
You think language never changes. Do u no there r 2Bn people texting and using short hand language.
Get/the program or ride off in2 the sunset.
XOXOXO
many moons ago, I took a couple of classes in shorthand. It was fun. I can see the horizon and the sun is setting. I’m 70.
LOL. I’m 70 in DEc. Hang in there, but we’re on the losing side.
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