Your single biggest grammar pet peeve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Should of instead of should have
impacted instead of affected

Also, dangling modifiers and dangling participles. A dangling modifier is when a descriptive phrase doesn’t apply to the noun that immediately follows it. A dangling participle is when an adjective is being used to describe the wrong noun in the sentence.

It’s not should have that you’re hearing, it’s should’ve which is a contraction of should have. When people write it incorrectly, it’s because they are writing it phonetically - but they’re making the same basic mistake you are.

Sorry it’s not should OF you’re hearing…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

What I have learned most in this thread is that DCUM people are just now learning that we have different regional dialects and don’t all speak exactly the same language.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

What I have learned most in this thread is that DCUM people are just now learning that we have different regional dialects and don’t all speak exactly the same language.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

No, the rest of us just grew up and realized that our "regional dialects" were poor grammar and corrected our errors. If you know better, why do you want to sound uneducated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

Absolutely. I just think it's interesting where it came from since I just assumed it was some sort of hillbilly/Pennsyltucky thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

Absolutely. I just think it's interesting where it came from since I just assumed it was some sort of hillbilly/Pennsyltucky thing.

It's very specific to that region then. My grandmother was a German speaker in the midwest. She never said "needs washed."

[Anonymous]

My grammar peeves have been covered, but a sort of grammar-adjacent peeve I have in is making something possessive when it shouldn't be. Example, "I'm going to stop by Nordstrom's after work." It's just Nordstrom. If they wanted it to be Nordstrom's they would have named it that like Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grammar peeves have been covered, but a sort of grammar-adjacent peeve I have in is making something possessive when it shouldn't be. Example, "I'm going to stop by Nordstrom's after work." It's just Nordstrom. If they wanted it to be Nordstrom's they would have named it that like Bloomingdale's and Macy's.

It’s even worse when people refer to “Aldi’s.” There is no Mr. Aldi!!!! I believe that ALDI is an acronym.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going to hospital.

I think they say this in Canada, perhaps Britain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

Absolutely. I just think it's interesting where it came from since I just assumed it was some sort of hillbilly/Pennsyltucky thing.

It's very specific to that region then. My grandmother was a German speaker in the midwest. She never said "needs washed."

I grew up in eastern Wisconsin, which is incredibly German, and I associate "this needs washed"/"this needs changed" with Pennsylvania. I don't hear it much when I'm in WI.

[Anonymous]

Caring about grammar in 2023? Nobody has time for that, buddy.

[Anonymous]

"Flash forward".

Totally irks me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

Wow how ignorant can you be. This is literally the definition of a regional dialect.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The towels "need washed" or the baby's diaper "needs changed." I understand this is a regionalism but it sounds so uneducated.

It's a PA thing (central and western, specifically). I agree that it's annoying, though I recently learned that particular construction is based on German grammar rules. Given the influence of German immigrants on PA, that's not surprising.

Generations later it’s not really an excuse for people who can’t speak German.

Ich kanne Deutsch sprechen. OK für mich, richtig?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:less and fewer
And not putting punctuation inside quotation marks such as:

He called this flower a "buttercup." <--- correct
He called this flower a buttercup". <----- inccorrect *unless you're from England.

Ugh, it bugs me that the American way is less accurate. If I am quoting something, I want to quote it exactly. Ex: The sign stated "exit." No it didn't, there was no period on the sign. The sign sign stated "exit". Or: Did the sign state "exit?" No the sign wasn't asking a question.

I’m an editor. The question mark goes outside of the close quote.

CORRECT:

The sign said, “Exit.”

ALSO CORRECT:

Did the sign say, “Exit”?

Since I’m here, I’ll add that the misuse of pronouns is my number one annoyance.