Grammar v.3
It doesn't take long for me to pile up a good list of grammar rules for linguistic annoyances I find while I'm reading online, and also other fun language things, so I thought I'd end the week with a few.
1. apart vs. a part: One means to set aside, the other means "a component of". Mixing them up, as in, "apart of your life" totally throws off the meaning of what you say.
2. Betsy retweeted this, and I think it's brilliant:
3. The unnecessary use of quotation marks. I "forgot" this one in the last round. See how annoying that is? I actually forgot, not hypothetically forgot, so using quotation marks there doesn't make any sense. When in doubt, leave them out. Other cases here via Buzzfeed.
4. "Irregardless" is not a word. According to Wikipedia, "Irregardless is a word commonly used in place of regardless or irrespective, which has caused controversy since the early twentieth century, though the word appeared in print as early as 1795. Most dictionaries list it as 'nonstandard' or 'incorrect'." The prefix "ir-" means "not" so it's almost like a double negative, and if you know anything about high school English, it's that double negatives are bad.
5. Tricia tweeted this from Pinterest, and I love it:
1. apart vs. a part: One means to set aside, the other means "a component of". Mixing them up, as in, "apart of your life" totally throws off the meaning of what you say.
2. Betsy retweeted this, and I think it's brilliant:
Grammar PSA: "aisle"- the center space in church, or how a grocery is arranged; "isle"- Richard Branson has one, or where you take 3 things.
— Gesci M (@GesciM) July 27, 2013
3. The unnecessary use of quotation marks. I "forgot" this one in the last round. See how annoying that is? I actually forgot, not hypothetically forgot, so using quotation marks there doesn't make any sense. When in doubt, leave them out. Other cases here via Buzzfeed.
4. "Irregardless" is not a word. According to Wikipedia, "Irregardless is a word commonly used in place of regardless or irrespective, which has caused controversy since the early twentieth century, though the word appeared in print as early as 1795. Most dictionaries list it as 'nonstandard' or 'incorrect'." The prefix "ir-" means "not" so it's almost like a double negative, and if you know anything about high school English, it's that double negatives are bad.
5. Tricia tweeted this from Pinterest, and I love it:
via
Balderdash! Breathtaking! Scrumptious! Sounds a lot better than "awesome". (See previous post for thoughts on the word awesome here.) How about we try using some of these in our everyday life? Don't know the meaning of some? Consult the dictionary! That's my plan, anyway- I almost feel like making flash cards. "Mayhap" and "winsome", while I've heard them before, are two I need to get to know better. Think about how much more elegant we'd all sound.
Have a fantastic weekend and if you have anything to add, feel free to comment below!
DISCOMBOBULATE is one of my favorite words ever. Also, whenever my dad starts singing and I tell him to stop, he says, "Don't squelch me!" and that's pretty cool too :)
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I use mayhap with each other all the time! And when my husband and I disagree about something, we refer to it as a squabble. Maybe I'll see how many of these I can work into conversation today. :-)
ReplyDeleteI heart discombobulate! I also use skedaddle quite often ;)
ReplyDeleteDiscombobulate is a word I use all of the time! Audacity is one of the frequently used ones as well. The word audacity has the sound of it's meaning and I think it fits perfectly for it's use! Maybe my last sentence doesn't make sense, but I hope you know what I'm trying to say. :-P
ReplyDeleteI abhor the word awesome. It makes me cringe to type it. That list is fantastic, though. My elementary school teachers in 4th grade forbid us from using nice, pretty, cool (as in popular), and a few other bland descriptors. This rule lasted through 7th (the school was 4th-7th) and it definitely encouraged creative vocabulary in writing. Plus we had assignments from Wordly Wise, the Hot Words for the SAT, and some other book-program.
ReplyDeleteMy husband teases me for using gambol, as in "frolic and gambol". He says no one has "gamboled" since the 1920s. I tell him lambs still do...
My husband and I were just making fun of a sign in a restaurant this week that had a bunch of quotation marks used improperly. I'd be so embarrassed to have something like that hanging on the wall!
ReplyDeleteawwwww.. irregardless drives me crazy. It drives me crazy because typically people who aren't that educated use it like it's a big word and they don't know that it's WRONG.
ReplyDeleteThe more I write on my blog the more I feel I'm increasing my writing skills which is great but I'm also catching some of my mistakes.
my favorite one somebody just posted on facebook... it was something like "the difference between feeling your nuts vs. feeling you're nuts"
ReplyDeletei thought that was pretty good :)
have a nice weekend
-Rachel w k
rwkrafts.com