Are there any grammar "faux pas" that bother you?

“Off of” has actually grown on me. Partly because it’s not a new convention, so it feels a little more justified in my eyes.

Usage of the non-word “irregardless.”

My math teacher used that “word” (irregardless) all the time. I think it was just to sound smart. It’s a very nonsensical word if you think about it.

your instead of you’re

“Irregardless originated in dialectal American speech in the early 20th century. Its fairly widespread use in speech called it to the attention of usage commentators as early as 1927. The most frequently repeated remark about it is that “there is no such word.” There is such a word, however. It is still used primarily in speech, although it can be found from time to time in edited prose. Its reputation has not risen over the years, and it is still a long way from general acceptance. Use regardless instead.”

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/irregardless

I also see the word “loose” being used instead of the appropriate word “lose.” I’ve even seen it used on professional sites, as well.

@nikipedia I think the same can be said about some other words. Mere usage, however, doesn’t necessarily make it acceptable. Thanks, however, for the link. I’ll continue to refuse its usage.

The use of two languages in one sentence is just uncalled-for, such as the term “grammar faux pas”.

Not grammar faux pas, I specifically wrote grammar “faux pas.”
¡Mierde! (Now I’ve used three.)

People saying “had done”, “had seen”, “had gone”, “had eaten”, etc., when they only need to say “did”, “saw”, “went”, “ate”, etc.

Example: “I had gone downtown yesterday, and I had eaten breakfast in the diner.”

This would be a sensible construction if it then continued, ”.. when I learned that
eggs are very unhealthy when cooked in E-Z-Melt.”

But it’s used alone. Possibly this is an attempt to sound sophisticated. This makes me grit my teeth.

@psyla: Really? You find it uncalled-for to use a phrase or word from a foreign language?
Why not use a word from another language if everybody knows what it means?

when people use “literally” when they mean “figuratively” or “very.”

@phoenyx – that’s one that drives me up the wall. I even hear commentators on NPR use this one. I’ve been hearing “literally” when it’s inappropriate more and more, lately.

Do you mean “Merde!” or “Mierda!”? As far as I’m aware, mierde isn’t a word.

Sorry. I started to write Merde in keeping with the French, then decided to switch to Spanish to piss of psyla, and screwed up. Por supuesto, I meant mierda.

Good enough for government work!

Hey, and I’m a government worker!

Je ne habla pas les foreign languages, tout suite.

I hate it when I say I’m going to “go ahead” and do something. I just annoy the heck out of myself when I say that.

Spiacente, ma io non capisca il francese “faux.”

Ich nein verstaign das schweizkopf.

Thanks to my step father the use of “anyways” which should never be plural.

Thanks to a friend the use of “good” verses “well” when referring to you mood or performance.

As a good Catholic raised girl I cannot stand when people us the Lord’s name in vain: JC or GD! UGH

Irregardless used to be one for me until I looked it up, now I am doing a kind of personal therapy when I hear it, to just accept it and move on. :)

I meant schnaykopf.

Your sentences are incomplete grammatical fragments, which I find acceptable, but which annoy the heck out of Delirium.

Can’t say I have any grammar pet peeves. Mine isn’t perfect (quite far from it) so I almost feel more at ease, if anything, when others make mistakes too.

I’m with wild. Life is too short (as cliche as it sounds) and there’s way too much going on in this world to get hung up on someone else’s grammar.

These phrases confused me when I first encountered them:
– should of instead of should have
– could of instead of could have
– would of instead of would have

Which leads me to ask—is it correct to say should’ve, could’ve, and would’ve? I ask because the Fluther spell checker doesn’t seem to recognize should’ve but has no problem with the other two words. :)

the mixing up of “there,” “their,” and “they’re.”

“should” instead of “ought.” When people say “should” they usually mean “ought” – should means a very strong suggestion, while ought it simply a suggestion.

I’m hearing this a lot lately: the double ‘is”, e.g. “the problem is is that…” Even journalists are constantly doing this. Listen for it. I think this is a fairly recent development.

@JohnnyCeltics, I love the word “ought”, hardly anyone uses it these days though

Too many to mention. :)

Is the plural of faux pas still faux pas? I’m just curious.

yes

Thank you.

I can’t believe it hasn’t been mentioned in this string, but the merciless use of quotation marks when not necessary makes me want to carry a marker with me at all times to make corrections. It seems that quotation marks have become a way to emphasize a word, rather than to set it off, which is their intended purpose.

There is a sign I see all the time that says “used” tires. It almost makes it sound like the tires are used, allegedly,but we don’t know for sure.

Why should we both enforcing grammar rules, as long as we can understand what someone is saying?

@pwyatt- I tend to fall into that “quotation mark” trap. As I almost exclusively flutter using my iPhone, it really is the only way to highlight a particular word. I can’t use italics.

@nikipedia I’m in agreement with you on this one. Although I answered the question, I’ve never chastised anyone for their spelling, grammar or other manner of trying to express themselves, other than to ask for more clarification.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.

@AstroChuck
You can do bold, italics and links from your iPhone. Same way you do in the full fluther version:

Style your text! * strong * _ emphasis _—whisper—“link”: http://www.fluther.com → link. (I added spaces so you’ll see the formatting)

Not with the iPhone friendly site. Nor can you flag answers. I could go on the regular website but then I have to whip out the ol’ reading glasses.

It ought to be possible for you. It definitely is for me.
This message is posted from my iPhone

When someone says “I could care less”, which is clearly the opposite of what he/she is attempting to convey.

I can most certainly style text in such a manner from my iPhone (I am now). Just use the appropriate underscores or asterisks.

@pwyatt: I remember seeing a sign long ago on one of those strange faux dishes
that some registry windows used to have, e.g. the DMV or the Licensing Division of the
State of Michigan; these faux dishes, to continue, were for putting change into, then pushing through the slit at the bottom of the window so the human being inside wouldn’t have to touch your foul human flesh. This particular change-faux-dish had a bunch of ugly burns on its hideous plastic, and also a sign, which said:
“THIS” is not an ashtray.
Eh?
WHAT was not an ashtray? Something, but only allegedly this thing.
Such a goofy thing in any case.

It bugs me when someone says then when they should say than. IE: I have more then you.

vanilla folder instead of manilla folder

Misuse of “and I”....for instance pictures posted online with the title “So-and-so and I”. WRONG. I think English teachers scared kids into never wanting to use “me” and now their everlasting grammar souls are at stake.

When people say aren’t I?

I’m a grammar retard, but I still get uppity when people say “infinite”. Almost without exception what they are talking about could not be infinite. It gets my vote for the most misunderstood word of all time. Likewise, I have a problem when someone overstates giving “110%”, as if they are giving themselves a tip.