Sunday, November 18, 2007

Grammar Pet Peeves around the Web

As proof that I'm not the only person around with grammar pet peeves, I offer these sites for your elucidation and entertainment. If you don't see your pet, or if you just want to vent about it, leave me a comment. I'm certain to commiserate with you.

Literally, A Web Log which only addresses correct usage and abuse of the word “literally”.

Richard Lederer had a show on National Public Radio about his grammar pet peeves. I'm sorry I missed those, but you can listen to them here, even if you can't call in and commiserate.

Dina at blogfeeder offers a place to post your pet peeves. A lovely, irate pile has accumulated there.

J at Thinking About... has not only her top 13 pet peeves but another post linking to another NPR show about grammar. It appears that she no longer updates this blog.

Peter Ridge at Turbulent Sky has only three pet peeves, but the're biggies. I haven't even posted about less versus fewer. I'll have to remedy that oversight soon.

Shockingly enough, the Grammar Police have their own post with a lengthy comment section where readers share their grammar pet peeves.

Finally, ZDNet offers a list of 10 flagrant grammar mistakes that make you look stupid. That's their phrasing, by the way.

Enjoy these rants and responses. I, too, have a pet peeve of the day. Using a qualifier such as more or most with the word unique makes my teeth clench and my fingers itch for a red pen.

Unique means it is the most unusual, rare, exotic, unmatched, unrivaled of its kind. One-of-a-kind works as a synonym for unique. You can't be “more unique” or the “most unique”. Either your subject is unique or it is not. The next time you use unique in your writing, consider whether you meant it or not. If you wrote that something was the “most unique” thing you'd ever seen, chances are that you didn't mean it at all. Try original or extraordinary, instead.


3 comments:








Anonymous

said...

Hello, I feel likewise about good markup and am here to be rude about yours... no I'm only joking but there is an error in the link to the ZDNet item. Please keep blogging because I check back regularly hoping to improve my rather patchy learning.





Unknown

said...

Great heavens! Two typos in the same post complaining about errors from others. Thanks for letting me know. It's been fixed.





suchsimplepleasures

said...

i have major writing pet peeves. i think, though, i'm guilty of a bunch of them! i'm going to have to bookmark your blog and come back when i don't have a head cold...so, then i can understand what i'm reading...