This thread is my
favorite! Instead of irritating my classmates tomorrow with incessant corrections of professors' grammar mistakes, I shall list some of my grammar pet peeves on this forum in hopes of getting it out of my system. Prepare to be irritated!
1) "The reason is because," and "The reason why is" and "The reason why is because" are all wrong. It's "The reason is that."
2) You must not use a coordination conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so) immediately after a comma unless there is a complete sentence on each side of the comma and coordinating conjunction. A list of things with a comma and then an "and" is an exception to this rule.
Right: I like chocolate and flowers.
I like chocolate, flowers, and a good old-fashioned romp in the hay.
You're my favorite client, and I think you should come over more often!
Wrong: I like chocolate, and flowers.
You're my favorite client and I think you should come over more often!
3) The pronunciation of "processes" with an "eez" at the end drives me crazy. I will not stand for it!
4) Don't get me started on semicolons.
5) "Hers" does not have an apostrophe.
6) "Affect" is the verb, and "effect" is the noun. It affects me greatly to know that I have had such an effect on you.
7) If you "could care less," then you actually do care. If you "couldn't care less," then you don't care at all.
8) Lay vs. Lie
You're tired? Go
lie down. Did you do this yesterday? You
lay down yesterday.
Your arms are tired?
Lay that heavy bag down. Did you do it yesterday? You
laid it down.
Jeepers, I could go on forever. The last one I'll bring up is the mismatch of pronouns.
Incorrect:
Everyone and their mother know that I am a stickler for grammar.
Everybody thinks that they are better than me.
Correct:
Everyone and his/her mother know that I am a stickler for grammar.
Everybody thinks that he/she is better than I.
Sometimes I gain some insight through my own posts. What started off as a post about my "grammar pet peeves" has turned into the heavy realization that I don't have grammar pet peeves... I have a little stick up my butt when it comes to this stuff!
I still like being whiney about it though. Let's do more!!!