What is your biggest grammar pet peeve?

SGT Ben Keen — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:01:20 -0400

As one of the site user administrators, I spend a lot of my time not only engaging in some great conversations, but also ensuring the threads follow the guidance put out by RallyPoint. This includes ensuring proper grammar is used as well as the subjects of the threads are in fact questions since this site is based on the idea of engaging the users through some great questions and providing RallyPoint members with a database of some great questions that impact each of the branches.

While I'm not a English major and spell check is my best friend, I sometimes find myself having to go through a lot of my posts correcting some grammar errors that the PC doesn't big up. So I did a search and found the article attached below and use it as a reference sometimes when trying to ensure that proper grammar is used. And I know with all the writing the military asks us all to use, we are all exposed to some of these errors either in our own writings or in reviewing write ups for reviews, awards, counselings, or whatever else you might have to review as a leader in the military.

So my question to RallyPoint is, what is your biggest grammar pet peeve? Do you fall victim to one of these more than others, such as 'there', 'their', and 'they're'? Are there any that did not get listed on this blog?

Top 40 Grammar Pet Peeves | Pennington Publishing Blog

Here is the list of the Top 40 Grammar Pet Peeves that irritate most Americans. Learn what's wrong, what's write, and the tips to avoid these common grammatical

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2015 8:03 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:03:43 -0400

"Your" improperly used...kills me

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Aug 31 at 2015 8:05 AM

SCPO David Lockwood — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:05:04 -0400

When people claim to have excellent grammatical and spelling skills and constantly making stupid mistakes!

Response by SSgt Alex Robinson made Aug 31 at 2015 8:05 AM

SSgt Alex Robinson — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:05:09 -0400

Lack of proper punctuation and misplaced commas. Poor spelling. Improper use of words like there, they're, etc.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Aug 31 at 2015 8:08 AM

PO1 John Miller — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:08:43 -0400

They're, their, and there are the most common ones I've seen along with your and you're. Misspelled words and incorrect punctuation are other big ones for me.

One of the most commonly misspelled words I've seen is "Internet." Notice the "I" is capitalized. That is because it is a proper noun.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Aug 31 at 2015 8:17 AM

LTC Stephen F. — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:17:52 -0400

On RallyPoint I have generally seen well posted statements. The cases where I have seen almost incomprehensible responses, comments and posts have been:
(1) people using their own texting "abbreviations" which they may be the only one to understand :-)
(2) people responding to one discussion with a response to a different question or else they are experiencing a psychotic break :-)
(3) people who don't read what they are posting prior to posting and click respond with sometime incomprehensible responses - inscrutable comes to mind. I have been guilty on this count especially when my meds, caffeine level, or blood sugar level are out of wack :-)

Response by Col Joseph Lenertz made Aug 31 at 2015 8:23 AM

Col Joseph Lenertz — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:23:18 -0400

Using bigger or fancier words when smaller or simpler can meet the need. And don't ever say it "literally" drives you crazy, unless you have been judged to be insane by a competent psychologist.

Response by PFC Joseph Levi made Aug 31 at 2015 8:46 AM

PFC Joseph Levi — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:46:50 -0400

The worst is when the person doesn't use any punctuation! ARRRRGGG! Talk about run-on sentences. The other pet peeve is not knowing how to use a comma.

Response by SSgt Charles Edwards made Aug 31 at 2015 8:49 AM

SSgt Charles Edwards — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:49:31 -0400

Reading emails/texts from people who have a college education, but can't spell simple words.

Same applies to articles published online that is supposed to be from a reputable site.

Obviously, the misuse of there, their and they're. Your and you're.

It's probably a good thing I'm not a teacher.

Response by SGM Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2015 8:51 AM

SGM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:51:58 -0400

My pet peeve is probably the overuse of passive vs active voice ie., "The trash has been taken out" vs "I took out the trash."

Response by PO2 Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2015 8:53 AM

PO2 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 08:53:32 -0400

Facebook. Facebook is my biggest grammar pet peeve. Mostly sentences with no commas, periods, or capitalization.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2015 9:06 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 09:06:05 -0400

The use of the word "lighted" the proper use is to say it's "lit". The internet lit up with comments about proper conjugation..... Yes I know there's a shift to use lighted but it sounds wrong to me.

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Aug 31 at 2015 9:14 AM

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 09:14:14 -0400

Anyone using "text" type in actual e-mails... Drives me freaking crazy...

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 31 at 2015 9:36 AM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 09:36:22 -0400

Rumor has it that the interweb and texting shorthand are ruining peoples ability to properly spell and/or provide quality grammar. I'm not the best, but if I fail to capitalize someone's name, it's usually on purpose. For example, harry reid doesn't deserve CAPS in my opinion. I don't mind being corrected, but if that correction is offered as a rebuttal statement that has nothing to do with the topic, it irritates me to no end. Misspelling or poor grammar does not equate to a lack of knowledge.

Response by CW3 Eric W. S. made Aug 31 at 2015 10:37 AM

CW3 Eric W. S. — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:37:47 -0400

Irregardless...

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Aug 31 at 2015 10:49 AM

SSgt Terry P. — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 10:49:11 -0400

"Basically" drives me nuts.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Aug 31 at 2015 11:48 AM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 11:48:28 -0400

It's so easy these days to take short cuts and I'm guilty of it...but it still drives me crazy when someone says "anyways" instead of "anyway." This word does not have a plural version.

Also.....when people say "AXE" instead of "ASK."

The one I dislike the most is when people ask "where is it at?" So, you say...what's wrong with this? It's because "at" and "where" are the same thing therefore the person is asking it twice...It is a double prepositional phrase and makes me bonkers......so.....I always reply "in front of the at." I get the weirdest stares and faces when I say this. lol

Ok....so I didn't stay on the topic of "grammar."

The miss spelling of words. Especially those words that have many spellings to mean different things i.e., the posters example of "there" their" "they're."

Response by SSG Richard Reilly made Aug 31 at 2015 1:07 PM

SSG Richard Reilly — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 13:07:18 -0400

I am horrible at Grammar but the Oxford Comma is a bigger deal then many know. It can make major differences in legal opinions.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Aug 31 at 2015 1:29 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 13:29:03 -0400

I have one more.
It's "you are welcome" or "you're welcome" not "you welcome." It seems like 8 our of 10 people say "you welcome."

Response by Capt Michael Halpin made Aug 31 at 2015 6:49 PM

Capt Michael Halpin — Mon, 31 Aug 2015 18:49:25 -0400

Writing loose when they mean lose.

Response by PFC Robert Falk made Sep 1 at 2015 9:50 AM

PFC Robert Falk — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:50:53 -0400

The words "pin" and "pen" come out the same. It drives the wife crazy.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Feb 29 at 2016 9:05 PM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 21:05:58 -0500

Maybe this is more spelling than grammar. But I see folks use "loose" when they actually mean "lose."

Response by SPC Darren Koele made Feb 29 at 2016 10:31 PM

SPC Darren Koele — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 22:31:42 -0500

My biggest pet peeve is common usage of made-up words and "text language".
I see LMAO, I'm thinking communist dictator. I see OMG, I want to ask if you choked on something. This kind of stuff is becoming all too common.
One the other side is the made up garbage. I don't know if it's ignorance or simply a result of lazy speech. Here's a couple examples:
The word is PROBABLY, not PROLLY.
When you need to go somewhere, you HAVE TO go, you don't HAFTA go.
On that same token GOTTA and GOTCHA are not words.
In that same respect, KINDA and SORTA are not words (although I do occasionally use them but inside quotation marks... it's my way of acknowledging that I'm using some kind of slang or otherwise purposely using improper grammar, as in "I'm 'kinda sorta okay".
Perhaps another one that drives me nuts, particularly when a supposed veteran screws it up is COMMANDER IN CHIEF. It is not Commander AND Chief.
These are just a small sample of what sets me off.

Response by TSgt Melissa Post made Mar 1 at 2016 1:59 AM

TSgt Melissa Post — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 01:59:07 -0500

hanged/hung, axed/asked, irregardless (not a word folks!), enthused/enthusiastic.

I can't stand it when people say "Truthfully and honestly", "My thing is that", "Literally" (when it is apparent it was not in fact meant to be literal), Pop/coke/soda I hate the word "pop" its an onomatopoeia, not a noun.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 1 at 2016 10:22 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 10:22:56 -0500

unless you're talking about an ocean, it's "specific" not "pacific". people who cannot/will not use plurals/possessives correctly.
He goes to work. not, He go to work.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jul 25 at 2016 8:29 PM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 20:29:52 -0400

Clear, understandable sentences. Failure to proof read a post. We all make mistakes, but mostly never see them until after posting. That's where the "edit" button comes in.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 13 at 2019 6:51 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 18:51:57 -0500

Irregardless, which I proudly frequently used to sound smart, until I learned it only made me look stupid.

Response by SPC Stiv ChenRobbins made Dec 11 at 2023 11:54 PM

SPC Stiv ChenRobbins — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 23:54:19 -0500

Since I haven't been a proofreader for decades, most things just roll off my back like water off a ducks.. er. Back. Phones constantly introducing errors and spell check that is wrong too often ground me down. Still hate using the word "like: as a filler.