Errors in English

[DEDixon 39]

Which ones tick you off the most? I have one, but maybe as others mention the ones they often see, we'll all learn something.

I see "your" all the time when it should be "you're."

I have others, but I'm not going to mention them until someone else shares one.

The one above ticks me off, because it is so basic.

[rsn 135]

How about people who say "for all intensive purposes" instead of "for all intents and purposes"

[TBoneTX 45,288]

One that many folks don't think about is the widespread use (and even the inclusion in some dictionaries) of "legitimize" when the word is "legitimatize." We don't make something "legitim," or "priotize" when we wish to prioritize.

All mistakes with contractions bother me -- its just one of those thing's.

I'm still trying to identify the origin of the word "cut" in "cut a fart." It's not explained in any traditional or slang dictionary that I've ever seen.

Definition for the Day:

Thesaurus, n. - a prehistoric reptile with an excellent vocabulary

[Dakine10 5,452]

I hate when someone uses the word warantee instead of warranty. I think it's a sneaky way of trying to make a "warranty" sound more like a "guarantee".

A warantee is actually the person who receives a warranty.

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

I hate when someone uses the word warantee instead of warranty. I think it's a sneaky way of trying to make a "warranty" sound more like a "guarantee".

A warantee is actually the person who receives a warranty.

i thought a warantee was the person who has a warrant out for them.

[Kang Lang 7]

ugh i hate when people say irreguardless. their, they're and there when used incorrectly annoy but not as much. (recalling bad experience from when i was learning english)

Edited January 28, 2011 by Kang Lang

[Dakine10 5,452]

i thought a warantee was the person who has a warrant out for them.

That's true. A warranty is really just a type of warrant. And warrant evolved from the French word guarant, which means to guarantee.

So if I buy a new car, I would take a warranty but I would rather have a guarantee - a money back guarantee if possible. I would have no use for a warrantee though.

[cartaverde 12]

Let's see... on the top of the list of the things that irritate me in English (or rather in its improper use):

- Your/its when it should be you'r, you're, it's etc.

- The incorrect use of past tenses. I could understand that if it's someone who's learned the language for 3 months but not when it's native. In the horror type of use such as "Something did happened." What?

- Kernal. Commodore 64 had "kernal" and that's because the programmer could not spell kernel. But anyone on a Mac or any Unix system - no, you don't have a kernal panic.

- "We". I hate when people use that when talking to a group. It usually just means the speaker, and trying to get something out of the other/s. "We have to make sacrifices" = you have to make sacrifices. Fine, that isn't that much an erratic use of the word, but it still irks me. I'm too selective in which "we" I want to be included.

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

- Kernal. Commodore 64 had "kernal" and that's because the programmer could not spell kernel. But anyone on a Mac or any Unix system - no, you don't have a kernal panic.

but when the general visits your training site, it's usually colonel panic.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

I saved this from Craigslist over 5 years ago, and still love it, despite its (without apostrophe!) foul language:

why does this piss me off so much? GET IT RIGHT...

lose - the opposite of win, to misplace something, ONE ###### O

loose - the opposite of tight, your mother/wife/sister, TWO ###### O's

how can so many people get these two confused? IDIOTS

your - a possessive, similar to mine, his, her as in "your loose ####### of a sister loses her mind every time she gets railroaded by your whole inbred, shitbag excuse of a family", NO ###### APOSTROPHE

you're - a contraction of "you are", as in "you're a dipshit", A ###### APOSTROPHE

its - another possessive, similar to your, NO ###### APOSTROPHE

it's - a contraction of "it is", as in 'it's ###### simple', A ###### APOSTROPHE

Need a trick? Fine - when using it's or you're, expand the contraction. If "you're head is full of ######" becomes "you are head is full of ######" and doesn't make any sense (maybe it will to you because you're a ###### idiot), then you are using the wrong word. Queef.

to - a preposition, as in "turn to the right" or "it's time to go back to school", ONE ###### O

too - an adverb (know what that is?), synonymous with "also", "as well" as in "Really? I went to college too. I actually read a ###### BOOK." It can also be used to mean "to a regrettable degree" as in "It's too late for you, moron", TWO ###### O's

two - a number, it comes after one

there - an adverb, similar to here as in "your tiny bus is over there"

their - yet another possessive, similar to your as in "it's not their fault that you're a ###### retard. It's YOUR fault."

they're - a contraction of "they are" as in "they're not responsible for your complete ignorance of YOUR OWN ###### LANGUAGE. READ A BOOK!!"

http://santabarbara.craigslist.org/about/best/aus/111508160.html

[Afrikan Queen 11]

Wording I am even guilty of that I don't like is the saying 'have been' instead of 'was'.

[trillium13 84]

I really hate when people put an apostrophe where it doesn't belong. Just because it has an "S" does not mean you need an apostrophe!!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics

Very funny comic.

@ JustBob.

Edited January 29, 2011 by trillium13

[Mariye & Ky 172]

How about when one uses "alot" instead of "a lot" (two words). If you forget, use "a whole lot"

[Fandango 1,439]

I really hate when people put an apostrophe where it doesn't belong. Just because it has an "S" does not mean you need an apostrophe!!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics

Very funny comic

This is my all time grammar peeve. Love the oat btw, Amby sent that to me last year.

Another good one:

http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/

[Pooky 3,784]

ugh i hate when people say irreguardless. their, they're and there when used incorrectly annoy but not as much. (recalling bad experience from when i was learning english)

I hate when people say irreguardless, too.

Regardless of the spelling mistake, it's just annoying.