English is the most widely spoken language around the world. With 360 million native speakers as of 2010 and official language in 54 countries it is considered a universal language. Its spoken with different accents throughout the world and also understood by almost everyone. With having such a large number of audience it is bound to go through changes and modifications.
Don't worry, here i am not going to discuss the evolution of English language and no i don't consider myself a grammar Nazi actually so you won't see me here whining about how the modern technology has butchered the English language. However i am going to discuss some of my pet peeves regarding the few liberties we take with English.
With texting and instant messaging shortening the words like "you" into "u", "okay" "k", “2” for “to etc has become a trend these days and with social websites like twitter where you have to write in 140 characters you have do it even if you don't want to. But guys shortening to some extent is fine (not a grammar Nazi, Remember?) but this "My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & thr 3 :-@ kds FTF. ILNY, its gr8." is NOT fine at all.
shortened words, improper capitalization and punctuation, and characters like &, $, and @ are really really bothersome. It does not make you cool so please guys just stop it!
Like i said above that i am no grammar Nazi actually i really hate it when people point out grammatical mistakes of other people, No please English is not her native language and nobody asked your opinion but some things just can not be ignored. I really really hate it when people do this like for example how can people not know the difference between Awe, aww and ewe "Awe" is: I was awed by his dazzling green eyes." "Ewe" is "a female sheep." and its pronounced as "you" not "e you" and awwww is "isn't that cute?" it's awwwwwww. Not only this, there is more i have seen lots of people saying "For God sakes" its WRONG
its "For God's sake" and oh "Definitely" is spelled with an "I" not an "E" and its definitely not "Defiantly" that's a completely different word. Go Google it.
One thing that i hate is when people use the word "cum" when they actually mean "come" oh mother of all things "cum" and "come" are two different words. Come means "to move or travel" where as this cum is used in two sense 1) to combine with like a study-cum-bedroom and 2) is a vulgar slang word for the liquid that comes out of the penis during ejaculation.
so imagine my horror when i see my aunt write on Facebook "cum on skype"
Its not even funny guys please be careful while using the words which have double meaning if you are not sure what it means Google can be your best friend at such times.
And now lets discuss some basic things that are obviously taught to us in kindergarten but of course who will remember kindergarten stuff because its not important right? WRONG. Some common mistakes i see most people make the use of Their/they're and there. Guys these are different words with completely different meanings. Their is possessive. Their house. Their car. They're on the other hand is "THEY ARE" and There is "there you go". I don't understand how can people go wrong with such basic things.
Lose and Loose. There's a difference. Lose signifies a loss. You lose the bet. Loose is the opposite of tight. A loose fit. Break and brake Really? There are people don't know the difference between breaking something or taking a break and slamming on the brakes?
Waist and waste If you're putting your arm around somebody's waste, I don't wanna know about it. Your and You're.There's a difference. You're is ALWAYS YOU ARE. "Your" denotes possession. Your house. Your car. Who's and Whose "Who's' is ALWAYS "who is." "Who's the most likely to win the game?" "Whose" is like "whose bag is this?" Conscious/Conscience The first is like when you wake up "she was fully conscious". The second is that thing that nags at you "a guilty conscience". Principal and principle Oh come on guys really? Principle "Rule, belief or idea" Principal "your college or school principal". AND ONE MORE IMPORTANT THING "ANYWAYS" IS NOT A WORD. THERE IS NO SUCH WORD AS ANYWAYS. I want to break my head every time i see people say "Anyways"
Now back to some more common mistakes Compliment and Complement There's a difference. I paid her a compliment and said she looked nice. Complement means something completes or makes it perfect - Wine is a nice complement to a good meal. We looked good together. We complemented each other nicely.
Then and Than If people learned to read and write better THAN the average kindergartner, THEN I wouldn't have to point out the difference. Affect/Effect AFFECT is to have an impact on someone.
EFFECT is a result. Heir and Hear Heir to inherit something and its pronounced as "Air" and hear to"listen" and There is NO SUCH WORD as IRREGARDLESS 
and other very important thing"can't not do" COMPLETELY WRONG. Double negative. Remove the"not"can't is enough.
Okay few more before i end Accept/Except I'd like to ACCEPT that people who have graduated high school do not know the difference between these words, EXCEPT I really really can't. Bear and Bare:If you say "I couldn't bare it" it means you didn't want to take off your clothes. If you say "bare with me" it means you wanna get naked together.
Shudder/Shutter - She shuddered because she was cold. Please close the shutters.
Sight/Site- SIGHT: perception of objects by use of the eyes; vision. Also, "we went to London and took in the sights." SITE: the position or location of a town, building, etc. Also? WebSITE.
I can go on and on and on but i think i should probably end it here before it turns into a grammar lesson but can you blame me guys. Seriously.
These are just few of many mistakes that i see people do and its really really irritating so do yourself favor guys go read this wonderful book
and if you are not into books there is always 
No comments:
Post a Comment