Grammar errors, and my respective responses

Errors that grate on me, but will likely pass without comment:

  • its/it’s confusion (this one is so hopelessly irregular that I’m usually cool with it)
  • to/too confusion (this one is too easily a typing error)
  • pluralizing an initialism with an apostrophe, such as “DVD’s” (this is yucky, but it can be difficult to disambiguate whether the terminal ‘s’ is part of the initialism or not)
  • using ‘their’ and ‘them’ as neuter third-person singular pronouns (there really isn’t a good solution for this one yet)
  • uninterested/disinterested confusion (I really like this distinction, but whatever)
  • tasteless/flavorless confusion (chalkboard moment, but OK)
  • spelling errors that will generate a red underline in Firefox (that is, the misspelling itself is not a word) bother me, but for some (unfathomable) reason, some people don’t use browsers with spell-checkers or turn the checkers off

Errors that are likely to evoke pity, because they suggest that the author is attempting to sound more intelligent than he is:

  • using “beg(s) the question” to mean anything other than petitio principii
  • ultimate/penultimate confusion (you poor sod)

Errors that are likely to make me think you are a moron, whether or not I inform you of this fact:

  • pluralizing anything other than an initialism with an apostrophe (I mean, come on)
  • your/you’re confusion (this one is not even hard.  if you say ‘ur’, I’m likely to contract someone to kill you.  just FYI.)
  • there/their/they’re confusion (you can avoid confusing your phone number, social security number, and locker combination, right?)

All of these are subject to cruel and unusual enforcement if you are writing here and are insulting me while doing so.

Bonus:  A banana through the mail to anyone who finds an egregious grammar error in this post!

6 Responses to “Grammar errors, and my respective responses”

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  1. Dave says:

    “spelling errors that will generate a red underling in Firefox”

    I mean, that would be a cool trick. Plus, then I’d have lots of minions!

  2. Oh, that error was so awesome that I wish I had done it on purpose.  Corrected!

    (The quoted bit in Dave’s comment sounded so much like a Magic: The Gathering deck description that I had to check what site I was on.  I had to check on which site I was.  On.  Shut up.)

  3. Bob Mike says:

    Errors that are likely to make me think you are a motard

    Wait… You think I’m a French biker?!

  4. You think I’m a French biker?!

    Yes.

    But, due to the ambiguity of the intended target of my insults — and complaints from motards of all types regarding the slur — I’m changing the term.  Changing the term to [insert joke word].  And there are so many perfect punchlines to that joke, none of which I’m willing to make.  I defer to David Cross.

  5. Mike Berg says:

    A couple days late to the party, but have you seen http://theoatmeal.com/ before?

    This comic pertains to your post: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe

  6. No.  But this one’s on my wall:

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