OK, so maybe the title is a little harsh.
The semester is winding down now and we have learned a lot. But what I have noticed through the semester is that people make mistakes in their writing and in their speech often. And now that I know the mistakes, I have become much more aware of them when I see people making them.
These are some of my biggest pet peeves:
- 'toward,' instead of towards
- 'more than,' instead of using 'over'
- 'farther' is used for distance, not 'further'
- 'compliment' is for saying nice things, not 'complement'
- misusing 'than' when 'from' is correct
I know this list is just a sample of commonly misused words, but these are some that really bother me when I hear or read them. I'm sure that this list is going to grow as I continue to write and edit in my career. Still, I'm very thankful for this class because hopefully I will not make a common mistake in front of a knowledgeable editor.
What are some of your biggest editing pet peeves?
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10 comments:
One of my ultimate pet peeves?
"Irregardless." I cringe when people say that. Another one is when people interchange "which" and "that" in their writing. I agree though. Editing has made me real nit-picky.
Oh by the way. I looked up towards & toward. They're actually both correct. "Towards" is apparently the more English version. Kind of like "colour" and "color." Interesting huh?
That is interesting about towards, but AP style is 'toward.'
I guess that's another example of how AP style is taking over my life. :)
I also hate when people say irregardless! That is NOT a word. I also hate when people use "than" instead of "then". The further and farther thing gets me too. This is why I have become the go-to person for editing my friends' papers. It is kind of getting old because I can't do it quickly. I always find so many mistakes besides spelling that I end up taking forever on someone else's paper! Ohh J420, what have you done to me.
I call this the Facebook pet peeve. "Your" is not the same as "you're." This is just the result of being way too lazy. I realize it's Facebook, but do you really want to make this mistake?
I will never date anyone who spells it "alot." I will allow a "your" instead of "you're," but only once or twice.
Some of my pet peeves are homonyms and using the proper word in the proper context. To, two and too Another is your and you're and lastly, one that is not used too often, site, cite and sight. Wait I thought of another where and wear. It's not that hard to use the right word, is it?
In an early blog post I wrote about people labeling events "First Annual," which has always bothered me. I've always had a problem with people messing up contractions, too. I don't like when people trip up on possessives, either. I understand many of my peers haven't had a grammar lesson since middle school, so I try to cut them a little slack. Still, I'm quick to notice and be bothered by other people's mistakes (even more so after this class).
If only I could catch more of my own errors.
Dearest Sue,
I'm not just saying this because I'm your best friend, but I'm drawn to the honesty of your headline for this post.
No need to apologize for it with the first line of the text. Harsh as it might be, it sure got people commenting.
I enjoyed the title of your blog entry. And I totally agree. One of my pet peeves is when people use the word over incorrectly when they really should be using the word during.
It really bothers me when words are misused in ads. I don't know if there is different style advertising majors use or a class they have to go through too, but that is also one of my biggest pet peeves. There is no excuse for incorrect grammar.
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