Grammar Pet Peeves #1

There are some common mistakes made daily which drive me insane.  The fact that I see teenagers and college students making these errors regularly makes me grind my teeth in frustration.  I am certainly not perfect with grammar, but I do try to make an effort to get it right. I know many people think grammar is old-fashioned, but let me be the first to tell you:  it's not!  We all know, through some of the hysterical postings online, how important punctuation is to discerning the intent of the writer.  Grammar is equally as important.

Found on Pinterest via Eleni

Pet Peeve #1:

The use of the word "irregardless".  There is no such word!  I don't care if Webster has listed it in the dictionary.  The meaning of "irregardless" in the dictionary states that it is a nonstandard word which has been confused with the correct word "regardless".  Why is there no such word as irregardless?  Because a) the use of the prefix "ir" and suffix "less" make the word a double negative; and b) both the prefix and suffix completely change the meaning of the word.

The definition of the word "regardless" means:  1) having or showing no regard; heedless; unmindful; 2) without concern as to advice, warning, hardship, etc.; anyway.

The prefix "ir" means:  not, or the opposite of.  The suffix "less" means: without.  So when you say (or type) "Irregardless of what is right or wrong, I'm using the word anyway."  Instead of it meaning that you don't care if it's right or wrong, it now means:  "I not don't care what is right or wrong.....", which mean you do care what is right or wrong.

As the online Urban Dictionary states "Used by people who ignorantly mean to say regardless. According to Webster, it is a word, but since the prefix "ir" and the suffix "less" both mean "not or with" they cancel each other out, so what you end up with is regard. When you use this to try to say you don't care about something, you end up saying that you do."

For the love of all things holy, please eliminate this word from your vocabulary before you make my brain explode.

Pet Peeve #2: 

To and too are two words (yes, that was a cheap pun) which do not mean the same thing and cannot be used interchangeably.  So here's my two cents worth:

"To" is used to express a direction, motion, limit in time, contact, or contiguity.  "They came to my house", "I took a kick to the shin in soccer", "It takes me 10 minutes to drive to my office".

"Too" means:  "in addition, also, beyond what is desirable, more, extremely, and very".  Examples for the proper use of the word are:  "You are too close to the fire" (see how I used both words correctly?), "My hair dresser cut my hair too short" (actually, this just happened.  On the bright side I'll save some money because my bangs won't need to be cut for 4 months....), "My husband wasn't too angry about the new shoes I purchased after he saw my haircut".

Pet Peeve #3: 

You're driving me to the brink of insanity when you use "your" and "you're" incorrectly.  Again, these are two words which cannot be used interchangeably as they have two different meanings.

The word "your" is possessive, which means that something belongs to someone.  "Your hair looks very pretty today", "May I play with your football?", "I really like your fitness center".

"You're" is a contraction.  "You're" means "you are".  "You're my favorite reader" (no really!  You are! Yes, that was a shameless plug for you to keep reading), "You're going to Disneyland", "You're making me crazy when you type your instead of you're.".  Seriously.

Pet Peeve #4: 

Their, they're, and there.  Three words with different meanings and yet people still use them interchangeably.  Oy.

Their:  this particular "their" is possessive (like me with chocolate), so if it has eyes (i's) and ears (e's), then it belongs to someone.  "That is their football", "Let's go over to their house", "I love their new car".  So, if you're confused on which word to use, remember that this "their" refers to something a real person has which can be possessed (a house, football, car, chocolate.....).

They're:  this "they're" is a contraction.  This one means: they are.  "They're (they are) going out to eat", "They're (they are) a really nice family", "They're (they are) at the park".  If you can use the words "they are", then you know to write they're.

There:  a place, point, introduction to a sentence, a state or condition, and as an exclamation for the completion of something.  Examples of the proper use of this word are "There is no place for the use of the words their or they're at the beginning of this sentence.", "We are going over there to sit in the shade.", "There!  I feel better now!".  And one little side note:  the words "that" and "there" should never be combined together in a sentence, i.e. "That there is my dog.".

There!  Now when I read your posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., I can focus on what you're actually saying.

Written by Christie Bielss