The Language Use and Grammar Curmudgeon

Hello Readers! I can't believe I let almost an entire month pass without my annual rant and rave session. Before I begin, is it: "I can't believe I let almost..."? Or is it: "I can't believe I almost let..."? I get that that type of language usage confused sometimes. I'm still dealing with the "to boldly go" is incorrect and "to go boldly" is correct statement from Star Trek!

In honor of my birthday, which is February 27, I will list all my language pet peeves.

1. It's pronounced FebRUary, not FebUary. Think of February being a cold month - FeBRRRRRuary.

2. You don't pronounce the "t" in "often", just like you wouldn't pronounce the "t" in "soften".

3. It's "right of way", not "right away".

4. The "blank and I" rule has nothing to do with putting "I" after another person's name. It has to do with what comes before and after a verb. So, Michelle and I were invited to the party. However, Peter invited Michelle and me to the party. Please stop asking, "Would you like to go with Michelle and I?" Would you ask, "Would you like to go with I"? Heck no!

5. Where is it at? No. Please don't end a sentence with a preposition. It's "Where is it?" Not "Where's it at?"

6. Myself. Why do people keep misusing this reflective pronoun? Just use the word "myself" if you have the word "I" before it. I see myself winning a Pulitzer Prize for a play I shall write someday. Not "Winning a Pulitzer Prize for a play would be a great thing for myself."

7. "Everyday" is one word ONLY when used as an adjective. "I daydream at work every day." "Daydreaming at work is an everyday event for me."

8. Only roast beef is done. You are finished with your project. You are not done with the project, or even worse, you are not done the project.

9. Badly. "I want to hug you badly" means that I want to hug you with maybe, oh I don't know, a foot or a finger - or in an otherwise sloppy way. "Badly" describes exactly HOW you want to do something. I used to be an excellent speller. I'd win spelling bees and get 100s on spelling tests. Now, I spell badly.

10. Hopefully. "Hopefully, the door is unlocked." Is the door full of hope? Nope. How about this - "I hope that the door is unlocked."

11. "Drug" is NOT the past tense of "drag"!

Well, that's it for this year. I'd like to leave you with an interesting exercise that a copyediting instructor used. If you are writing a formal document and you want to be concise, try writing without using the word "of".  It's a challenge!

Oh, and for those who object to constant uses of contractions, I really didn't want to do that! I just got into this habit. And I'm the first person to change contractions to their longer forms in a document. It's too informal - this usage. But I can't stop! I can't!

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

• #1 Comment from helmswondermom 
  2/29/08 11:26 PM | Permalink

  This is great!  I am getting ready to do an entry on "I" and "me" soon in my grammar journal.  Did I ever give you a link to it?  I started it at the beginning of theyear and made it a limited shared journal so others to whom I give access can make entries there.  If you have an entry you think would be appropriate for it, let me know, and I'll add you as an author.  Here is the link to the journal:
  http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/i-stand-corrected/
  and here is a link to the first -- introductory -- entry in the journal:
  http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/i-stand-corrected/entries/2008/01/01/a-limerick-to-get-us-started/933
  Lori
  http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages/