18 Jan 2012

Elements of Style Rap



Do you correct silently people's grammar when you're speaking to them, or watching them on the Teev? If you're a member of the Grammar Police, then this is for you.

What are your pet grammar peeves? Does the split infinitive get to you, or is it the floating apostrophe? Personally, I hate it when myself is used instead of me, as in: Please reply to myself or John. Argh! It drives me spare. I do not understand why people find the subjunctive so difficult, and I dislike immensely the word gotten as well, but that may be a regional thing.

Talk to me. What gets under your skin?

Love the moustaches.

9 comments:

  1. Gotten? What context? "I have gotten a man from the Lord" or "ill gotten gains" Give an example.
    I couldn't watch the video as it was glitchy. Probably my computer. I have become less picky as I've aged. Partly an accomodation to the kids and partly that my head is so flaky. I know I make a lot of errors theses days.

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  2. My Mum goes totally off about the word, 'very'. ie. "your call is very important to us" (when placed on hold) she says, no need for very, it is important or not important. Apparently I wrote very on my blog one day as I received a grammar lesson. ouch.

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  3. For me, it's youse. As in: "Can I help youse?" When I answer with "Wese would like to see ...." I am treated with a a puzzled look.

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  4. lol Personally I like to split my infinitives & I don't object to dangling prepositions either but regional Qld has this thing about using the word seen in the incorrect tense as in: I seen it today. What is with that? Drives me nuts. The other that I really, really hate, is reading American booxs that do not addres the past tense suffix to words like fix. Argh!!!

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  5. One of the sad things for me is listening to my dear children use seen and youse, just as Book Chook and Ganeida mentioned. Why did we bother with grammar and tense for all those years. If I mention it they immediately know what they have said, but now the children are older I have chosen to appear to be deaf to incorrect speech. (Husbands and friends likewise, you can't mention it though I have been knowm to bleat when called youse!)

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  6. As a product of public schooling (when I actually attended) I was not-to-politely corrected by a well meaning friends on many occasions over my incorrect use of done/did.

    'Done' needs a helper (have) but 'did' can stand alone.

    Apparently I got it wrong. All. The. Time. She would automatically correct me but I never once knew what she was referring to. I naively thought she was just giving me a form of feedback. LOL

    One day, she must have realsied that I had no idea. So she let me know that I used them incorrectly. I was so embarrassed. I went inside and looked it up. I studied the words and the different usage and I taught my children. We rarely make that mistake now.

    And then, there is my husband. He is quite a smart man but he gets it wrong All. The. Time. Sometimes I go to correct him, just like my friend did to me. And I remember how hurt and embarrassed I was and I kick myself.

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  7. Too many to count! But the biggest would be using "Good" for "well" and do not even get me started on "refer back" or "irregardless" or "he done" "I have came" (Joshua Duggar!)

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  8. The incorrect use of the past participle tense drives me crazy. Horrifying example...

    I seen that.

    Aghghghghghghghgh!

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  9. Since homeschooling I have become aware of my own grammar and often correct myself! Yesterday somebody wrote on their status on Facebook "a person was ATTACHED by a shark" even though that may be a spelling mistake reading it in my mind and saying the word out loud bugged me. I was thinking attacked dear...ATTACKED. What am I becoming?

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I'd love you to leave me a message. Tell me what you like - and what you don't. Just remember that this is what we do in our family - it doesn't have to be what you do in yours...