National Grammar Day: Do You Commit Word Crimes? Plus Sources for Grammar Help
 |
| Read 19 other hilarious grammar memes at The Frangipani Creative |
Do you have any pet peeves about grammar mistakes people
make? This catchy parody by Weird Al lists some prevalent word crimes that
drive him crazy. He is a little brutal, but he makes up for the insults by
giving viewers a couple grammar lessons.
Is it correct to say, "I could
care less?"
Are you doing good or doing well?
Can you use "quotes" too often?
Surprisingly, Weird Al did not mention my biggest pet peeve
for grammar in his parody: using that instead of who. For
example:
An employee that goes above and
beyond should be recognized.
INCORRECT. It should be:
An employee who goes
above and beyond should be recognized.
The Grammarly app doesn't even find it for correction; it has
become common.
Our English has become lazy. There are several words that we
pronunciate correctly but with for
the wrong reason. We even say some words by just a sound instead of the
word, such as saying "teh" instead of saying "to."
One of my crimes isn't misspelling or using a word
incorrectly, but rather how I pronounce it: espresso – not expresso.
Two Ideal
Grammar Helps for Writers
I keep grammar helpers close at hand to save time as a
writer. The most useful is Grammarly, a tool
I use daily. It is a free download and works right within Microsoft Word. (The
free version is quite basic; I recommend a subscription for writers and
students.)
Besides directing me to correctly place commas, Grammarly
catches all my typed sentences with two spaces after periods. Breaking the
two-space habit is hard – I remember in high school typing class when I would
get marked down on timed tests if there was only one space after a period!
Another is Google. I have a Google Mini at my desk
and use it frequently as a thesaurus. It saves time from leaving Microsoft Word
and going to a browser to look up a word. Google can even send the answer right
to your phone.
More Sources
for Grammar Help
I have already mentioned my love for Grammarly. Grammarly's blog is a source for all types of Grammarly wisdom. If reading their blog isn't enough for you, sign up for their mailing list to get tips right to your mailbox.
Grammar Girl is Mignon Fogarty, the
founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network. Her podcast can be found wherever
you like to listen to podcasts.
Grammarist is a blog to help with
grammar, usage, spelling, style, and other resources. Grammarist states that
they reach a "diverse audience primarily in the U.S., the U.K., Canada,
and Australia, in that order."
This grammar blog publishes a new article daily with topics ranging from grammar to
punctuation, spelling to usage, and vocabulary. For business writing tips,
check here first. Find what you need from their category list on the main page.
If you have a grammar pet peeve you want to get off your chest,
post it here in the comments or tag #musesofamom along with #nationalgrammarday
on Twitter.
Looking for grammar errors in this post? If you find one – let
Grammarly know.
/> 
Sorry- I will ALWAYS add two spaces after a period. That is not a grammar issue per se, it's a practice started long ago- and was drilled into me as I wrote a plethora of theses.
ReplyDelete