kis·met \ˈkiz-ˌmet, -mət\ - noun; often capitalized
1. fate.
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"We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language.
That may be the measure of our lives." - Toni Morrison

"Growing up Southern is a privilege, really. It's more than where you're born; it's an idea and state of mind that seems imparted at birth. It's more than loving fried chicken, sweet tea, football, and country music. It’s being hospitable, devoted to front porches, magnolias, moon pies, coca-cola... and each other. We don't become Southern - we're born that way." - Unknown

23 July 2009

i guess i'm a nerd because i know what a dangling participle is

The poor grammar that most people use when writing astounds me. I guess you could say that poor grammar is one of my pet peeves. There are many more violations not included on this list that make me cringe and shudder, but here are some of the main misuses that really bug me.

I hate it when people:


- misspell the word "definitely" {or the word "misspell" for that matter}
- use "your" instead of "you're"
- use "its" and "it's" wrong
- mix up "their," "they're," and "there"
- use an adverb without the "-ly" at the end of the word. {e.g., "The worker finished her job quick." {wrong} vs. "The worker finished her job quickly."}
- "of vs. have" e.g., "He should of come with me." {wrong} vs. "He should have come with me." {right}
- use double negatives . . . just don't.
- use the word "loose" instead of "lose" . . .
- mix up "effect" and "affect"
- use the word "afterwards". This is wrong. No such word exists; it's "afterward" {same thing applies to the word "towards" . . . it's not a real word}
- incorrectly use "I" instead of "me" and vice-versa {e.g., "This is a picture of my sister and I." (wrong!) it should be 'my sister and me.'}
- any improper use of the apostrophe
- dangling participles . . . while amusing and sometimes hilarious to the people who recognize them, they're still wrong

So, I guess you could say that I'm sort of a stickler for grammar
{
thank you, Mrs. English, Mrs. Team, Mrs. Campbell, and Mrs. McAvoy}
and seriously wonder what was going through people's minds when they use grammar improperly.


I also really want this book. The author came and spoke at a forum at my school; she was hilarious, and I cannot wait to read more of what she has to say.

1 comment:

Candice said...

If it helps, I use to be a stickler about grammar when I was in school. I'm more tolerant now. It will happen to you, I promise!