Bad grammar that hurts your ears

People who mix it up “and I” and “and me.” I cannot blame them because this was actually taught incorrectly at my public school and I didn’t figure out how to say it correctly until high school.

The word “utilize” and people who confuse “less” and “fewer” or “since” and “because.”

On the other hand, I don’t care about split infinitives, beginning a sentence with “And” or “Because,” or misuing the em- or en-dash.

Hip hop culture and texting as dumbed us down

Seen. As in, "I seen him at the store." WTF, and why am I hearing this more and more? It's so...hillbilly.

Worse. As in, "It's the worse." Another WTF.

Me and John went to the movies.

Where are you at?

Hot water heater

He hung himself

Yo bro

Many years ago, R4, my then-bf reported a co-worker as having exclaimed "He done it! I seen him!"

Strangely invented terms like "conversate" are annoying.

I’m getting my nails did

I have an acquaintance who sometimes post selfies after visiting the barber with the caption "Hairs did!" as a joke (he's a college graduate)

Try and. I am going to try and cook that.

No, you are going to try to cook that.

Losing battle R10 as by this time "try and" and "try to" are interchangeable. Many, many years ago an immigrant from Finland told me that was a problem for her in learning English!

I have a Trump-loving sister who persists on using the word “brang” in her texts.

Starting a sentence with “anymore.”

“Couple” without the “of.”

“Flaunt” where “flout” should be used.

“Substitute [original item] for [new item]” when it should be “substitute [new] for [original],” or “replace [original] with [new].

I could care less about this thread.

The use of "shot dead" in journalism (print & tv news) drives me batty.

A person can be "shot AND killed" or "shot TO death".....not "shot dead". One would never say that a person was "stabbed dead" or "bludgeoned dead".

“Should of” and “Could of” instead of should have and could have.

Bad grammar has always existed, OP. Plenty of old people have terrible grammar and spelling, such as our former president. This is yet another thread where elderly dataloungers bitch about modern life and pretend everything was perfect in the past.

Just take a trip to the ghetto .. white or black.

completely destroyed.

1. " We should have went to the concert."

2. " John, Brian, and myself went to the concert."

3. "Between he and I, there were three concert tickets, so Brian got to go."

4. " We each ate three taco's at the concert."

"Just take a trip to the ghetto .. white or black."

Listen to any talk radio show.

[quote] Starting a sentence with “anymore.”

Who does that???

“On the lamb” is sprinkled throughout articles about Brian Laundrie.

You know what bothers me almost as much as bad grammar? People who start new posts without searching. There is a perfectly good thread on this issue with over 500 responses already.

Yet, here you are, R14.

There's a difference between it hurting your ears and those who call it out on message boards.

Texting has destroyed proper grammar and punctuation. That is how most people under 30 communicate. The slide has been quick and now using proper grammar and punctuation is viewed as old. It's almost as old timey as starting a text "Dear so and so"

[quote]“On the lamb” is sprinkled throughout articles about Brian Laundrie.

Were they authored by Rosemary?

R25 Oh, dear, the word play went right over your head. Think a little harder, snookums.

Why does it bother you, R24? Can't you just rejoice in the fact that there are more than a single thread about a subject of interest to many (perhaps even including you)? What's bothersome about it?

R24 must have started the other thread.

I am currently in graduate school and if I hear the phrase “based off of” one more fucking time I’m gonna scream. It’s based ON.

Also, everyone suddenly pronouncing the t in often drives me mad, as well.

I'm sick and tired of "bored of".

Crabby R24.

R14 I see what you’ve done.

Anyone remember being about 13 and making a smart-ass remark when someone else's grammar slipped? Your ears would always be pitched to catch a mistake, wouldn't they.

That's the problem I have with this sort of thread. It suggests some of us haven't matured much.

It took this thread to tip you off to that?

"Was that noise our grammar teacher or that fuckin ak-47 again, Archie? Archie? ARCHIE! Thou art covered in blood, my dear. Goodbye, cruel wairld (sic)!"

OP This article outlines my #1 grammar peeve!

Using the incorrect form of a verb in present perfect simple and past perfect verb phrases:

1. I had ate at that restaurant many times.

2. She has drove herself to work every day.

Who speaks that way, R39?

I seen

I'm with r5. There's no damn reason to heat hot water.

This is more of a pronunciation pet peeve, but I hate it when people pronounce photographer as furtographer.

Come to that, libary and Feb-u-ary. Which is pronunciation, not grammar, yet notable.

Axe.

Anyways.

‘Should of’

‘Could of’

‘Would of’

The use of "y'all" in written communication. Is the writer REALLY from the Deep South?

Instinctual instead of instinctive

Orientated/disorientated instead of oriented/disoriented

Some people literally do not know how bad their grammar is. Literally.

Literally.

“Drug” is only the past tense of “to drag” for shoeless hillbillies.

When people pronounce foliage as “foe-lijj”

I use contractions. Should’ve, would’ve, could've. If someone thinks I’m saying “should of,” fuck em.

R44 Your lack of appropriate sentence structure.

I have here with me extra-strength anti-ADHD and anti-OCD drugs for you old, anal retentive, fat farts. Gobble it up and you will feel better.

R54 if you sprinkled some tasteful grammatical errors it would have been more entertaining.

University-educated individuals who don't know the difference between it's and its.

Starting a sentence with So . . .

And this recent thread title, which is making me homicidal: Smaller Cities and Towns You Visited and Enjoyed in the US that Many People Would Scoff at Ever Taking a Trip To. (I suggested: Smaller US Cities and Towns You've Visited and Enjoyed That Many Would Scoff at Visiting.)

R56 It's useful to keep in mind the distinction between grammar and style.

"All the sudden" instead of "all of a sudden."

R57 That thread title is a grammatical train wreck, starting with ending a sentence with a preposition. It's a dung heap of horrific grammar.

I think using lay (transitive) for lie (intransitive) is so widespread that the battle is over, but it still hurts my ears.

Was proceeded in death by…

R57 It's not bad grammar to end a sentence with a preposition. It's an issue of style: ending with a preposition often creates a weak close. Same with the other issues in that thread title.

If you're going to pretend you're a grammarian here then you have to learn to distinguish grammar from other issues.

OP, there are medication‘s that can help you.

You do not have to live this way.

Done and finished: Cakes are done, people are finished.

[quote] University-educated individuals who don't know the difference between it's and its; Starting a sentence with So . . .

I have more than one university degree, but still sometimes spellcheck, combined with mediocre proofreading skills, produces the wrong result in the first case.

"So..." works to introduce a sensitive or uncomfortable topic, or to change the subject after an awkward pause in conversation. I believe Yiddish uses "Nu" this way?

Just don't announce "¡Soy terminado!" to Spanish servers, R64.

I hope you are not among those discrete people looking to have affairs, R61.

"Who speaks that way, [R39]?"

You'd be surprised. Mostly white men completely forego the use of the past participle in favor of the past tense. Just about 100% of everyone on sports radio talk shows say " We should have went for it" or " I should have ate at McDonald's." My best friend was a Magna Cum Laude college graduate and says," Went" instead of " Gone." It's epidemic.

[quote] One would never say that a person was "stabbed dead" or "bludgeoned dead".

Nor “strangled to death.” It would just be crass.

[quote] I have more than one university degree, but still sometimes spellcheck, combined with mediocre proofreading skills, produces the wrong result in the first case [its vs. it’s].

All you have to remember is that the ONLY time you use it’s is when you intend to say “it is/has,” since it’s is NEVER possessive.

The show had its big opening and it’s a hit.

The ridiculous and unnecessary overuse of “myself” instead of “me.”

It seems everyone was so ingrained with trying to remember where I is appropriate they just use “myself” for either case.

[quote]"So..." works to introduce a sensitive or uncomfortable topic

R65 But it's most often used as an introduction to an innocuous topic because the writer/speaker believes that it's correct English rather than exposing the user as an illiterate moron.

[quote] I believe Yiddish uses "Nu" this way?

Uh, no. "Nu" is a Russian loan word to Yiddish. In Russian, "nu" is used to the continue a sentence topic or to begin a different topic. In Yiddish (and in Hebrew), "nu" is most often used as an impatient prod to action and when seeking an immediate response.

More than once Judge Judy has said :"I feel badly."

Using "Preventative." "Preventive" has the same meaning. Medical folk think the longer word sounds more important.

R16 FTT---That would be "For The Tie" with ....

"To John and I." No public school could have taught this nominative form following a preposition, r1.

A fairly new egregious example is prevalent on Reality Relationships shows (Bachelor; Married; Fiance franchises):

"I's" as a possessive. E.g., "Matilda and I's honeymoon...."

That makes me murderous.

I have numerous well-educated friends who write "Want to come to the movies with Mark and I?"

I was literally thinking the same thing.

Horton no longer hears a "who."

People are now using "that" instead of "who" -- as in, "the celebrity that stars in the new film." For some reason "that" is replacing "who" quite quickly -- when I was growing up, no one would confuse the two. Now, all the time.

Several words now mean the opposite of their meaning of just a generation ago. As mentioned, "literally" now means the opposite of what it use to mean.

The same is true of "notorious," which meant being well-known for unpleasant reasons. Now it means the opposite, being famous for good reasons.

"Is because" - the reason is because.

"I could care less" - no, I'm pretty sure you could care a lot less.

"you taking the time" "he being injured" - use the damn possessive case before a gerund.

^^^ "is because" - I forgot to add that it's the reason is because is redundant.

Similar to "I seen": I BEEN waiting for you for two hours already!

Aaargh!

R78 "opposite of what it use to mean"

Oh, dear

Anyways [sic]

Irregardless [sic]

[quote] "Matilda and I's honeymoon...."

Oh, c'mon - you made that up!

“So” is just a substitute for “well.” People used to start sentences with “well.”

“Professor, explain to us why barbarians sacked Rome.”

“Well, first we have to understand who the barbarians were...”

I don’t know why “so” has so quickly taken the place of “well,” but it certainly seemed to have happened overnight. I almost never hear a talking head start a sentence with “Well” on American tv anymore.

[quote] Several words now mean the opposite of their meaning of just a generation ago.

“Factoid” was a great word. It meant something accepted as fact that was not fact. It was a non-fact that was disguised as a fact. Then millennials got so stupid they constantly used it in place of “fact” and now it’s “factoid” is accepted as fact.

[quote]Why does it bother you, [R24]? Can't you just rejoice in the fact that there are more than a single thread about a subject of interest to many (perhaps even including you)? What's bothersome about it?

What's bothersome is having two threads going on the same subject and having to plow through both. And there will undoubtedly be lots of duplication.

I read this book years ago about a gay umpire named Dave Pallone. In every other sentence he would say LOOKIT.

R83 just made me grit my teeth even more than I already was.

R87 “ having to plow through both.”

I wonder if there is a way you could just not open the thread?

But, r75, that's their idiotic fear of using "me" incorrectly (as in "Me and my friend went to school.") as well as their idiotic fear of not sounding like others.

They were not taught this.

R79, "The reason is because..." is acceptable but redundant ("The reason is the reason....").

Before this locution took hold, the preferred wording was "The reason is that ...."

"How does he look like?"

It hasn't came in yet.

I know you’re waiting with baited breath and chomping at the bit, r94, but it should of came in by now. I just seen the UPS guy drive passed my house coming from the direction where you’re at.

R66- Your friend was a top student at Liberty University. Basically, that’s like being proud of having endless organisms when butt fucking Bea Arthur.

I "couldn't orgasm" because I "have anxiety".

I get it — language is a living thing, it evolves, rules are for pedants, etc. BUT! Confusing “them” with “those” really makes me cringe. Them doors, them cars, them apples…. Just dreadful.

[quote]Your friend was a top student at Liberty University. Basically, that’s like being proud of having endless organisms when butt fucking Bea Arthur.

...or winning Miss North Dakota.

About 20 years ago, I first began noticing a trend of people using the word "sell" as a noun, instead of "sale".

As in "the sells of their new album are impressive", or "that house on the corner is for sell".

At first I thought it was just a few morons, but I've seen it more and more over the years. Drives me fucking NUTS.

My #1 pet peeve is “I seen.” My second one is the strange leaving out of “to be,” such as “my dog needs fed” or “my house needs cleaned.” Lots of people speak this way now for some reason. They sound like suck backwoods hicks.

[quote]My second one is the strange leaving out of “to be,” such as “my dog needs fed” or “my house needs cleaned.” Lots of people speak this way now for some reason. They sound like suck backwoods hicks.

Older Pittsburghers use this "needs washed" phrasing. I think it's common in all of Western PA, and may stretch to Harrisburg.

[quote] "Is because" - the reason is because.

Even worse, "the reason why is because."

I truly wonder what kind of people you folks associate with on a regular basis? I just don't run across much of the wild examples given.

I recognize this is rather off-topic, but a pet peeve of mine are books where the character "scheduled an appointment with my lawyer for 3PM the next day." That many 24-hour firms out there?

I don't know where this quirk came from: my elderly mother doesn't pronounce "Phoenix" correctly, she says Phoe-neeks. It makes her sound so dumb. She's lived in Phoenix or the surrounding area for 70 years and can't pronounce it correctly.

“Suicide” as a verb. “She suicided herself,” or the more Datalounge version, “Suicide yourself!”

The change from “committed suicide” to “completed suicide” sounds weird, but I do understand the reasoning behind it.

R106 I've never heard someone say that in "real life" - only on here.

[quote] "The reason is because..." is acceptable but redundant ("The reason is the reason...."). Before this locution took hold, the preferred wording was "The reason is that ...."

Another one that so many people get wrong is “the reason why”. It’s actually never correct to combine these two words. The word “why” is implied in the word reason.

R107, I had only seen it online until last week, when I heard someone say it on the local news. A homeless-outreach volunteer was talking about how shocked she was when she found a guy who had “suicided in his tent.”

While I’m at it, people who don’t hyphenate compound adjectives drive me crazy. A homeless outreach volunteer is not the same thing as a homeless-outreach volunteer.

It makes my skin crawl when anyone says "irregardless."

It's "regardless." Period!!

I also am a stickler for the precise placement of "only." "He only goes to church on Sundays" is not the same meaning as "He goes to church only on Sundays."

People that pronounce any words starting with "wh..." wrong. The W comes before the H, the H is silent! They pronounce words like "white" as if they were saying "hwite".

Actually, r17, we just didn't realize what insufferable assholes we were when we were your age. Like you are today.

Most people say “if I was” when they should say “if I were.”

R95

[quote] I know you’re waiting with baited breath and chomping at the bit

Oy vey.

"I seen it!"

"You should of told them."

"She was the most beautiful women at the dance."

"Their all crazy!!"

Nothing else stood out to you, R115?

Using the comparative or superlative with the word " unique." " That was the most unique poem I've ever read."

[quote] Oy vey.

[quote]—The irony.

Which you obviously missed.

[quote] I recognize this is rather off-topic, but a pet peeve of mine are books where the character "scheduled an appointment with my lawyer for 3PM the next day." That many 24-hour firms out there?

Huh?

“Should have went” is the worst.

That’s bad, but “should of went” is worser. In fact, I would say it’s the worse of all.

R122 - your the worse.

Eh, you don’t know nothin.

This isn't grammar and it doesn't hurt my ears because it's written, but it does sadden me. On a recent neighborhood Facebook page:

a Halloween display that's "kiddie corner" from the poster's house;

propane tanks available at the "you hall" business on XXX Ave.

Those Facebook posters depend on the written language to communicate at their chosen website, but they haven't read enough of that language to understand how to use it correctly. Both of them appear to be adults and native English speakers -- how did they grow up to be so ignorant? America's free MANDATORY public education is pathetic! Mark Twain dropped out of school after the 5th grade to become a printer's apprentice and spend his free time in public libraries -- I'd recommend his method rather than urging kids to stay in school.

I seen your so-called evidence!

Have you tooken me for a fool?

[quote] This isn't grammar and it doesn't hurt my ears

Um, thanks for posting.

Those seem like spellcheck issues to me, R125.

Literally.

R128, I've spared you the rest of those posters' spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation all over Facebook. I'm afraid it goes deeper than just being too lazy to proofread for spellcheck issues.

R128, what’s the difference? It’s a mute point.

I have to ask whether that was supposed to be a joke, R131?

Let's give him the benefit of the doubt, R132 -- it made me laugh and I'm a pretty diehard Grammar Nazi.

R132, you’re really asking that on a thread entitled “Bad grammar that hurts your ears”?

Bless your lil heart, darlin’.

R132 has proofed that there’s a lid for every port.

R115 is the port.

Not a grammar error, but I'm sick of hearing people say, "That's the end all and be all." Ignorant.

Proved, not proofed, R135, but okay.

(as far as I know "proof" as a verb only involves producing identification regarding being old enough to purchase alcohol)

R132/R137 is just trawling now.

And yeast, R137.

Revert back to.