20 Common Grammar Mistakes That (Almost) Everyone Makes

LitReactor.com ^ | January 31, 2012 | Jon Gingerich

[This I Wonder32460]

It annoys me when someone uses anxious instead of eager to describe their feelings of excitement over an upcoming event. I also try, but often fail to not end a sentence with a preposition. Also, I feel guilty using the word “got” as my 7th grade teacher taught that there is always a better word to use then the word “got.” A rule like that really makes you think about what you are actually saying as “got” can be used to substitute for many other words. Think about it next time you use the word “got” there is a more appropriate word that you could use.

[trisham]

And then she goes “that is so awesome”, and like, I was sooo not into it.

[cartan]

Johnny wants the red car — fire-engine-red if he can find it — instead of the blue car.

Isn’t proper usage without spaces around the mdash?

Johnny wants the red car—fire-engine-red if he can find it—instead of the blue car.

[Churchillspirit]

“Continue on” is my favorite. The “on” is redundant.

[lyby]

Haven’t read this one yet: “Where’s he at?” My mom always responded with, “Behind the at...” (OOH! And as I am typing this, I realize I am using TWO spaces after the period, still following the directions of my typing teacher in high school.)

[CharacterCounts]

Myriad (preceded by the word “a” or followed with the word “of”)is one of the most misused words. If you can’t literally replace it with “many” without the sentence sounding awkward, you are probably misusing it.

[Revolting cat!]

Mixed metaphores. Doncha luv those? Here’s one from a concurrent thread (context obvious):

“Orly is our Joan and we will not throw her to the wolves.”

[Ladysmith]

I won’t go into “free gift” I always hear in commercials.

LOL! Great...just great! Thanks, a new pet peeve...

[Washi]

English is a difficult language up with which we must all put.

[CharacterCounts]

Use an ampersand together with nbsp;

Each time you use it, it will create a non breaking space.

Like   this.

[9YearLurker]

One would find an ‘error’ common if one insisted that one accepted meaning of a word is incorrect:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nauseous

Definition of NAUSEOUS

1
: causing nausea or disgust : nauseating
2
: affected with nausea or disgust
— nau·seous·ly adverb
— nau·seous·ness noun
See nauseous defined for English-language learners »
See nauseous defined for kids »
Usage Discussion of NAUSEOUS

Those who insist that nauseous can properly be used only in sense 1 and that in sense 2 it is an error for nauseated are mistaken. Current evidence shows these facts: nauseous is most frequently used to mean physically affected with nausea, usually after a linking verb such as feel or become; figurative use is quite a bit less frequent. Use of nauseous in sense 1 is much more often figurative than literal, and this use appears to be losing ground to nauseating. Nauseated is used more widely than nauseous in sense 2.

Examples of NAUSEOUS

The smell of gasoline makes me nauseous.

I began to feel nauseous.

Instead what they do is all sit together and feel really bad, and pray. Nobody does anything as nauseous as try to make everybody all pray together or pray aloud or anything, but you can tell what they’re doing. —David Foster Wallace, Rolling Stone, 25 Oct. 2001

[Washi]

Then vs. Than is an issue that really gets under my skin, too. You should also create a graphic for Woman vs. Women.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

As if my life weren’t trying enough,
I have to live on a street named Gough.
I really wouldn’t mind it though,
why not simply pronounce it Gough?
If slow is slough, to rhyme with through,
Couldn’t you pronounce it Gough?
You can lead a horse to the watering trough,
but you can’t make him drink,
And I won’t say Gough!

[RegulatorCountry]

Obviously written by a non-Southerner. The "Bring and Take" entry shows that. What about "carry"? As in, "I got to carry my father to the doctor this afternoon."

You're obviously a flatlander, because you forgot "tote" versus "carry," lol.

[Revolting cat!]

Obviously a goy. What about ‘shlep’ versus ‘carry’?

[Excellence]

No doubt someone else has posted this, but it is my pet peeve: “A lot” is two words!

http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/alot.html

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Nauseous: Undoubtedly the most common mistake I encounter.

What kind of publication does this person edit that this is the most common mistake they encounter?

[Twinkie]

What about “ALOT”? Looks like one word to me.

[Erasmus]

A little grammar lesson in Latin.

[SkyDancer]

I have several more grammar pet peeves but for now I’ll leave it alone ... don’t want to be the cause of you not sleeping well tonight. >grin<