As a grammar person, grammar teacher, grammar author, grammar blogger, grammar hawk, Grammar Diva, grammar prescriptivist — whatever you or I wish to call me — I obviously have a great deal of grammar pet peeves, and they change according to whatever grammar faux pas seems to be in vogue at a certain time. Right now, here are three I am grappling with!
#1 Peeve: The fact that radio personalities and their guests; respected TV news anchors; and well-regarded newspapers can’t get their grammar right — and don’t seem to care — is my number one pet peeve this week! The problem is rampant. Yes, of course I care because grammar is my livelihood (and without its proper use, I have no livelihood), but I also think that these people, above all, should be able to speak their own language correctly! Is it so difficult to say, “When I was a kid, my mom and I ..”? So why did I hear instead on CNN, “When I was a kid, me and my mom . . .”?
I would fire them all if I could! They get paid enough to speak correctly. Aren’t they getting paid to speak? Must they sound like morons? Do they think it’s cool to sound stupid?
#2 Peeve. The improper use of myself. I am getting tired of hearing this one. People obviously think it is high-class to use myself as much as possible — either that, or they don’t know whether to use I or me, so myself seems like a good solution. Wrong.
1. My colleague and myself are doing a presentation tomorrow. Wrong.
2. The important assignment was given to my colleague Bill and myself. Wrong.
3. I hope you join bestselling author Joe Schmoe and myself for this important interview. Wrong.
Try taking out the other person.Does myself make any sense at all?
1. Myself is going a presentation tomorrow? No.
2. The important assignment was given to myself ? No.
3. I hope you join myself for this important interview? No.
The rule is simple: Myself is never the subject of a sentence, and it can’t be used at all unless the subject of the sentence is I.
#3 Peeve. The whole pronoun situation: I and me, him and her, he and she, they and them, we and us. I would add who and whom, but let’s not get carried away with our expectations!
It isn’t rocket science. It isn’t difficult. The same people saying, “When I was a kid me and my mom would . . .” would never say, “When I was a kid me would . . . ” So, I am not quite sure why it becomes so difficult when the other person is added. That’s why I think these people, who should know better, just think it is cool to sound like a 7th grader. Likewise, he didn’t give it to Bob and I because he wouldn’t have given it to I. We all know the trick of just taking the other person out to see which pronoun fits.
Grammar-wise, here is the rule: Certain forms of pronouns are used for subjects. Subjects do the verb or action in the sentence and are generally at the beginning of the sentence — and before the verb. These pronouns are I, we, he, she, they, and who.
Other pronouns receive the action of the verb, either directly or indirectly, or come after prepositions. They are called objects. These pronouns are me, us, him, her, them, and whom. For example:
He kicked me. (Direct object of the verb kicked.)
He gave me a kick. (Indirect object of the verb gave.)
He gave a kick to me. (Object of the preposition to.)
Now I know you all have grammar peeves of your own, and I would love to know what they are, so I can write a blog post about them. You can comment, but better yet, e-mail your grammar pet peeves to me.
Maybe it is actually rocket science. . .In that case, I am raising my prices!
Hi Arlene,
Loved the articles and the comments, but I found a sentence in your last reply somewhat convoluted.
“….. I guess I have just been typo busy to concentrate to doing it, but I am going to do just that.”
Sorry, but I would like to suggest:
I guess I have just been TOO typo busy to concentrate ON doing it, but I am NOW going to do just that.
(capitalised only to emphasise suggestions and as an English native speaker, using S not Z here).
I look forward to receiving your Newsletters!!
Greetings from Austria, David
I don’t see where I said that, but thanks for your comments and I am glad you enjoy the posts!
Arlene, my feelings regarding television anchor persons, and I might add, those who write advertising copy for television, are equal to your own. I am disgusted, incredulous, frustrated, and astounded. These people can barely speak, their grammar is atrocious, many certainly can’t write. This must be a reflection of how our children are being educated. How sad to see such a lack of interest, understanding, and delight in a well turned phrase.
Thank you so much for your comment. I love your screen name! Yes, the illiterate are the ones making money and influencing our children. I am a teacher and I teach grammar — and lots of it. If I got caught, I would probably be reprimanded. Today, it is all Google,Google, Google and technology. Grammar? It is heavily in the new standards, but I don’t think anyone knows that.
Of. As in “She must of wanted to go” instead of “She must have wanted to go.”
Apostrophe abuse.
Pronoun abuse.
Just as everyone stated here, I could go on.
Thanks! I have pages and pages or peeves!!! Great stuff!
I have my own faults at English grammar so I try not to be too much of a critic in that area, but when someone has a really good idear it just makes me cringe!
Could just be a Boston accent????? I am from Boston, but I don’t talk that way.
Thanks for the refreshing article, Arlene. These are definitely becoming more common. One of my grammar pet peeves is the improper use of “lay.” Many people use it (incorrectly) in the present tense, as in, “I need to go lay down,” instead of the past tense, “yesterday I lay down.” It’s hard to get our kids to speak correctly when their friends all say it incorrectly.
Thank you, Esther, for the community. I agree with you that it’s getting more and more difficult to teach anyone to speak correctly!
I think “I need to go lay down” means the speaker is late for work at a ski jacket factory…. Sorry, but I do sometimes use ellipses to indicate a place where the speaker would pause.
Mark, I love your comment. It gave me a good laugh!! I use ellipses too…and too many exclamation points. But at least I know that difference between lay and lie!
FYI – In the sentence “Other pr0nouns receive the action of the verb,” you have a zero as the “o” in “pronouns.” (6 from the bottom).
Thanks!
Your selected peeves are some of mine as well. I almost leap out of my chair when I hear on-air personalities abuse the English language. I honestly believe my blood pressure spikes when they make errors. (I can hear it now: Man, she needs to get a life. Wow! Doesn’t she have anything else to worry about?)
There seems to be a lack of attention paid to online posting of articles and comments. It takes only a couple of minutes to reread what we’ve typed. We can’t let software select our words and do our spelling for us. One example of this is your sentence above: I guess I have just been typo busy . . . . Oh, yes, and then we have ellipses. Is it you who has written that you don’t follow any rules as to their use?
P.S. I’m tossing this one in as well:
Myself is going (sic) a presentation tomorrow?
I stand guilty of not thoroughly proofreading my own writing! But I cannot stress the importance of doing so, nonetheless! On the topic of ellipses I don’t like them because I don’t understand them. There are three dots if they don’t signal the end of the sentence, and four if they do because one is the period. However, if the ellipsis is at the end of the “sentence,” it is used to indicate a trailing off, so the sentence is not ended. SO???? This confuses me.
The three points that indicate a trailing off are rightly called “suspension points.” There are always, ever, only three dots. The 3- and 4-point system is for ellipsis points when you are quoting material from someone else and need to indicate the end of one sentence and the beginning of the next, with some intervening text omitted.
Thank you! I just cannot get ellipses straight!
Not to belabor the pronoun issue, I cringe at the constant use of the objective when the subjective is correct. All you have to do is finish the sentence to its completion. For example, I walk faster than her. You would never say I walk faster than her walks. But, for some reason, when the sentence is not carried out, people use the objective.
It also bothers me that so many people don’t use adverbs at all. I hope my kids fondly remember me saying “LY, LY, LY!!!”. They got it.
I found my old 1950’s grammar book. Rules rules and more rules. Little sketches of an elf holding up a sign with the rule. We never felt tortured at all.
I call that faulty comparison. “She likes pizza better than me.” Does that mean she likes pizza better than she likes me? No, it likely means that she likes pizza better than I do. Good one!
You’re right. We never feel tortured. But now we must entertain with screens in the classroom. Rules? What rules???
Do you mean using adjectives as adverbs? Some are acceptable and called flat adverbs. For example, he walks slow. I don’t like it either!
Arlene,
Would you please clarify the proper use of real and really. One of my pet peeves is what sounds to me to be the improper use of real as an adverb. Examples are “real good” instead of “really good” or the magazine title “Real Simple”. Shouldn’t that be “Really Simple”? But I’m no grammar expert so I look to you for what’s correct.
Best regards,
Bob.
Looking at the last comment, real is one of those adjectives that shouldn’t be used as an adverb! Real is an adjective and really is an adverb. Adjectives describe nouns. Adverbs describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Here are some examples that are correct:
This is a real diamond.
I am really tired.
She did really well.
Arlene,
I could not agree with you more about these three grammar pet peeves! Idea for you: send a copy of your grammar book to the News Director at CNN and demand that the “news readers” devour every page, and be ready to answer questions if they are quizzed! When I hear their awful grammar, it’s very depressing and makes me wonder what people are learning in school — from first grade right through college!
By the way, wasn’t there something called “grammar school” for younger kids? What happened to that?
At least we aren’t in the South, where I heard the very odd-sounding (to this Northerner) “might could,” as in…”We might could go hear jazz tonight” when I lived in Athens, Georgia, for two years in the 1980s.
Thanks for the comment, Linda! Believe me, I have thought of sending a copy of my book to those who speak poorly in front of the public. I guess I have just been typo busy to concentrate to doing it, but I am going to do just that. I know what people are learning in school: critical thinking….a vague concept at best. Facts are not seen as important any longer. While the ability to think is obviously important, there is also existing knowledge that should be learned. Go out on the street and ask young people who the Vice President is, and they won’t even know. It is sad. Yes, schools used to be called grammar schools and they still are in England, where, I have no doubt, they speak better than we do. I might could send my book to CNN!!!!! I love that one!