Grammatical pet peeves

[Jilly_in_VA]

There are some things that just grind my gears, yet they are so common, even in journalism, that they are almost standard today. I can't really tell you which is my no. 1, so I'll just list them in no particular order.

1. Could of, would of, should of. NO! It's could HAVE, would HAVE, should HAVE! I learned this in fourth grade, FFS!!! Where were you? This is just lazy.

2. "Here's what" to know. Grrr. Unnecessary verbiage, and silly besides. Either "What to know", which makes perfect sense and is concise and to the point, or "This is what to know," which is grammatically correct but unnecessary verbiage. "Here's what" is lazy.

3. What I call the "sportscaster glitch" because that's where I hear it most often, and usually (forgive me) from male sportscasters. The women don't seem to do it as much. "He ran such and such, did Lawrence," is my imperfect example, but anyone who's listened to or watched football or basketball has heard this absolutely cringey thing repeatedly.

Okay, what are yours? This is my diversionary tactic on a Monday morning.

[justaprogressive]

1. To play "Outstanding"

which would suggest that "Outstanding" is the name of a game!

Correct: to play Outstandingly

to play outstanding football

XXXX whose play is outstanding...

Adjectives are not adverbs!

[Frasier Balzov]

2. Asking "Right?" following every other statement.

Not so much a grammatical error, more of a verbal crutch.

As though the speaker is desperately seeking unearned concurrence.

Once you notice it, you will begin to observe how pervasive a speech pattern this has become.

[The Roux Comes First]

3. Diversion Greatly Appreciated!

Several come to mind.

I never subscribed to the idea that "data" suddenly transformed into a singular noun. It's as if we suddenly moved wholesale to the metric system without even any real debate on the subject.

There are several less-common verbs that seem to be frequently cast recently as no longer having separate forms for various tenses. I'm struggling to think of the two or three I see every week or so, where the over-simplistic lazy approach of adding a suffix is commonly used now. The verb "slide" is not one, but it comes to mind I guess because at least one offender starts with "s." I have yet to see "slided" in use, but it would be the equivalent, with "slid" having been discarded.

And a more general "bone" is what seems like an overall deterioration in the quality of editing and proofreading in journalism. Onerous grammatical and even spelling errors feel rampant these days, even in headlines. Or is it just my growing curmudgeon?

[Jilly_in_VA]

4. To quote Calvin and Hobbes

Last edited Mon Jan 12, 2026, 05:24 PM - Edit history (1)

"Verbing weirds language"!

[Wounded Bear]

20. The journalism problem comes from fewer and fewer actual editors on the job...

Many articles are published directly by the author, all of whom should really know better, but apparently don't.

[The Roux Comes First]

37. I Wholly Agree About the Underemployment of Those Trained in Correct Use of the Language in Print

Most of the technically trained engineers and scientists I worked with for decades "knew" they were gifted with the language (look at all the education they had!) and tended to disrespect and even dodge proofers and editors (and rarely if ever even knew the difference), and greatly resented it when their foibles (not to mention their self-delusion!) were pointed out, often through multiple drafts.

A secondary point - never rely on built-in spell-check and other features if you care how you come across in print. Re-read your work before publishing. And then re-read it again. Of course that assumes you are a careful and thorough reader - often not a good assumption.

[Wounded Bear]

41. I have never known a spell checker that knew better than I on common text...

I check sometimes with unfamiliar words, but generally I turn off spell check and proof read myself.

[2naSalit]

5. All of the...

Peeves mentioned above plus misplaced apostrophes!

And the inability to know the difference between then and than.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Disclaimer though, sometimes I misused words and spelling for expression in some contexts.

[yellow dahlia]

32. apostrophes used to make a plural

Aaaargh!

[LoisB]

6. "Irregardless" drives me insane as does your #1 re: "Of" instead of "have".

[question everything]

14. Same here

[Croney]

7. "Invite" used as a noun.

Yes, I know it's accepted usage now. I just don't like it. Also, "impact" as a verb. Same reason.

[3catwoman3]

55. I have an particular dislike for "impactful." I find it clunky and awkward.

Influential works fine, and sounds so much more sophisticated.

[hlthe2b]

8. Everything listed on the thread but lately, all the "Gamer" terms for everything: "Level Up," most

recently. There is a woman who does a commercial for Shopify (I think) and it is constantly all about how she "leveled up" with her business this and on and on...That is where I have heard the term most recently (and constantly), but I know it is in use for other ads too--as well as among the talking heads in round-table discussions about anything but gaming.

Other than that, the constant use of "me and him/her/group etc." went somewhere or did something. Even those who should (seemingly) know better. Ditto the use of "ain't" when I know they know better and that is increasingly being used in ads. I don't mean when they are intentionally trying to make a point, but just use it.

I will add the mandatory qualifier that I have been known to make my share of grammatical errors as well as spelling mistakes (or typos). But, I don't make the most obvious ones (or at least not more than once if pointed out).

[efhmc]

9. Using "I" instead of me as the object of a preposition. Thinking Diane on Cheers among many.

Use to holler at the TV every time she did it. Which was often: i.e."between you and I"

[MIButterfly]

11. Great minds think alike!

In the time it took me to write my post, you posted yours.

[3catwoman3]

24. It is odd that people mess this up so much.

You never hear anyone say "between we."

[yellow dahlia]

33. With you.

[LoisB]

16. I have just recently become aware of "level up". I do not understand it at all.

[MIButterfly]

10. People misusing "I" and "me."

Example: "He took a picture of my brother and I." You wouldn't say "He took a picture of I"; why would you say "He took a picture of my brother and I"? I know it's extremely common; I hear it all the time. I even see it written by professional writers, such as authors and journalists (in other words, people who should know better) and I don't understand it at all. Is it trendy? Grammar isn't supposed to be trendy.

Drives me straight up a wall.

And then they'll say "Me and my brother had our picture taken" instead of "My brother and I had our picture taken."

[efhmc]

12. Just reading those examples made me want to scream.

Agree "great minds".

[3catwoman3]

25. Nor do you hear anyone say, "Us had our picture taken."

If you can get it right in the plural, why not in the singular.

[CTyankee]

52. How about that song "Me and Julio down by the schoolyard"?

[Callalily]

13. Improper use of between and among.

Use "between" for two distinct items, concepts, or points in space/time

Use "among" as a preposition meaning in the middle of, included with, or in a group of three or more things/people, indicating a collective or indistinct relationship

[Rastapopoulos]

15. "Media" and "data" are plural nouns

and require plural verbs, to be strictly correct. I've pretty much given up on those, though.

[boonecreek]

17. I could care less.

No, it's I couldn't care less.

Not knowing the difference between your and you're.

[sorcrow]

18. Then/than

I worked with a PhD engineer who consistently exchanged them. He would have done better if he had just used one of them, and then he would be right at least half the time.

Regards,
Sorghum Crow

[Iggo]

19. Nope. Sorry. Number 2 has led to two whole generation who think "What to know" is a question.

(See YouTube video titles for mountains of evidence.)

It’s a sentence fragment. The whole sentence is “Here is what to know.”

[Wounded Bear]

21. I'll throw in misuse of "lose" and "loose"....

Funny thing is, that it's usually "loose" being used wrong, and it's a letter longer.

[Skittles]

30. it is odd

goose is not pronounced GOOZE, moose is not pronounced MOOZE so I don't really understand why people get LOSE/LOOSE wrong so often

[Totally Tunsie]

22. In the Liberty Mutual "Limu Emu" commercials,

"You only pay for what you use."

NO!

You don't "only pay"...You pay for only what you use.

I wince each time I hear that misplaced usage.

[Wounded Bear]

42. Sadly, that kind of twisted language makes good ad copy...

[3catwoman3]

23. "I" being turned into a possessive, as in John and I's vacation. Aauuugggghhhhh!

And the plural possessive of guys is guys', NOT guyses! I've even heard Rachel Maddow use this. It makes me want to scream.

[Blues Heron]

26. Ask as a noun. Grrr

Also missing T’s but that’s more of a pronunciation peeve.

And of course “of course” instead of “your welcome”

[Rizen]

27. I'm an author...

and one of the ways I write unintelligent characters is by having them use bad grammar.

[surfered]

28. Incorrect apostrophes...it's.. it's

[MIButterfly]

47. Thank you! Examples: "Go Cub's!" "The Smith's"

No, no, 1,000 times no.

Who the hell started that? I see it everywhere.

[Skittles]

29. "I SEEN"

I always wonder if people who say that know how ignorant it sounds.

[yellow dahlia]

34. Finger nails on the blackboard.

[Skittles]

38. I used to see it in work emails

made me cringe

[yellow dahlia]

50. Ugh!

[Skittles]

53. OH and using CAUSE instead of BECAUSE

I see that regularly on DU.......WTF

[yellow dahlia]

54. I feel using real sentence structure and words that mean something helps keep us sharp.

[Enter stage left]

31. "What do you got?", or "what have you got?"...

It should be "what do you have?"

I hear it constantly on TV and normal conversation, it drives me crazy.

[Wounded Bear]

43. Blame Gibbs...

[yellow dahlia]

35. AnywayS. I hear it on tv often, and I correct the person.

Disrespect as a verb. It may have become acceptable in the vernacular, but not by me.

[bif]

36. "It was like, really funny!"

I hate what I call "Like-speak".

[Jeebo]

39. I am a bit of a grammar freak.

Last edited Tue Jan 13, 2026, 02:14 PM - Edit history (1)

I retired 11 years ago after 45 years in the newsroom of a morning newspaper. For some reason, some grammar errors don't really bother me, but there are quite a few that drive me up the wall. There is the difference between "lie" and "lay", for example. Many of my former co-workers don't get that. Ditto the difference between between "waiting for" and "waiting on". "Waiting on" is an active state; "waiting for" is a passive state. That's why your waitperson in your favorite restaurant is actively waiting on you, while you are sitting there passively waiting while the waitperson is filling your order. I have lots more, but no time to think of them now. Some have been noted in this thread by other posters, though.

-- Ron

On edit: Fixed misspelling, can't believe I did that. I worked as a proofreader for that newspaper, too, but that was 50+ years ago, and my aging eyes just can't spot typos like they used to.

[Jilly_in_VA]

40. Now you're getting into regionalisms, though

"Waiting on" is perfectly good Southern-speak, and I'm quite used to it, having heard perfectly genteel older folks use it for much of my life. It's like waiting "on line" which I never heard until I was exposed to New Yorkers in college, or a number of other regionalisms.

[Skittles]

48. "regionalisms" are still incorrect

just saying

[Ptah]

44. "Grammer" is a common misspelling

[Talitha]

45. Nucular instead of Nuclear

Often mispronounced by people who know better.

[GreatGazoo]

46. Using "normal" to mean average

Normal is a range. Average is a specific number.

And why is "wind chill" only applied when it is cold and "with the humidity" only applied when it is hot?

[Jeebo]

49. Saying you're "filming" with your cell phone.

I always want to ask, "What kind of 'film' did you have in your cell phone? 8mm? 16mm? 32mm?" If you recorded the scene with your cell phone, you did not "film" it.

-- Ron

[enid602]

51. Improper use of reflexive

‘She gave pieces of cake to him and myself.’