Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

agnos.is Forums

  1. Home
  2. Ask Lemmy
  3. We all know grammar Nazis. What incorrect grammar are you completely in defence of?

We all know grammar Nazis. What incorrect grammar are you completely in defence of?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Ask Lemmy
asklemmy
127 Posts 80 Posters 0 Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • S [email protected]

    It is perfectly cromulent to use "less" in place of "fewer".

    slvrdrgn@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
    slvrdrgn@lemmy.worldS This user is from outside of this forum
    [email protected]
    wrote last edited by
    #96

    The fact I understand all the vocabulary you used embiggens me.

    1 Reply Last reply
    1
    • F [email protected]

      "And" isn't necessary when listing.

      Example: "cats, dogs and mice"

      Vs "cats, dogs, mice"

      Haven't heard an argument beyond "it's just convention" and I'm lazy enough to not bother with three letters and one syllable.

      I think it also can be a little clearer in some situations where the word "and" is included in the list.

      Example: "I like jazz, rock and roll and classical"

      Vs: "I like jazz, rock and roll, classical"

      M This user is from outside of this forum
      M This user is from outside of this forum
      [email protected]
      wrote last edited by
      #97

      You call yourself a grammar nazi, and don't use the oxford comma?

      F 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • S [email protected]

        Mooses and gooses

        C This user is from outside of this forum
        C This user is from outside of this forum
        [email protected]
        wrote last edited by
        #98

        Regularisation goes brrrr.

        1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • N [email protected]

          who/whom.

          Maybe it's because that English is not my first language but I always find it confusing.

          C This user is from outside of this forum
          C This user is from outside of this forum
          [email protected]
          wrote last edited by [email protected]
          #99

          It's pretty much a dead language feature anyway, at least in my area. Whom sounds pretentious as hell if you actually say it. Like, you'd get away about as well with thee or thou.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • C [email protected]

            @[email protected]

            As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

            C This user is from outside of this forum
            C This user is from outside of this forum
            [email protected]
            wrote last edited by [email protected]
            #100

            Ending a sentence with a preposition has been standard in English for longer than the language has existed, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

            M S T 3 Replies Last reply
            8
            • M [email protected]

              You call yourself a grammar nazi, and don't use the oxford comma?

              F This user is from outside of this forum
              F This user is from outside of this forum
              [email protected]
              wrote last edited by
              #101

              Grammar was invented by big keyboard to sell more keys, fuck grammar. I was taught not to use Oxford comma here in Aus. Though I guess I do technically use it I just omit the "and" that tags along

              1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • I [email protected]

                An “and” before the last item tells you it’s an inclusive list. An “or” before the last item tells you it’s a pick one. A “nor” tells you it wasn’t any of those. It’s word to wait to the last item to know what the list was, but English is a screwed up language.

                F This user is from outside of this forum
                F This user is from outside of this forum
                [email protected]
                wrote last edited by
                #102

                Yeah that makes sense. I'd still use "or" for listing options. Don't really see how omitting the "and" leads to ambiguity though.

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • C [email protected]

                  @[email protected]

                  As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                  tigeruppercut@lemmy.zipT This user is from outside of this forum
                  tigeruppercut@lemmy.zipT This user is from outside of this forum
                  [email protected]
                  wrote last edited by
                  #103

                  To anyone who has a problem with singular they:

                  Roses are red, violets aren't blue
                  Singular they is older than singular you

                  K 1 Reply Last reply
                  7
                  • C [email protected]

                    Ending a sentence with a preposition has been standard in English for longer than the language has existed, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

                    M This user is from outside of this forum
                    M This user is from outside of this forum
                    [email protected]
                    wrote last edited by
                    #104

                    I see what you did there.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    2
                    • C [email protected]

                      @[email protected]

                      As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                      T This user is from outside of this forum
                      T This user is from outside of this forum
                      [email protected]
                      wrote last edited by [email protected]
                      #105

                      someone corrected me on spelling "at least" "atleast"
                      like... alright? (wink wink nudge nudge)

                      anyways I was in a bad mood and wrote a passive aggressive message I ended up not sending

                      Words condense over time, it's not a crime to not type a space.

                      do you say "goodbye" or "God be with ye"? what about "gossip" or "farewell"?

                      What about a purpose misspelling being turned to one of the most common words in conversation? "all correct" -> "oll korect" -> "ok"

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      1
                      • S [email protected]

                        Mooses and gooses

                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        S This user is from outside of this forum
                        [email protected]
                        wrote last edited by
                        #106

                        Moos and goos

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • C [email protected]

                          Ending a sentence with a preposition has been standard in English for longer than the language has existed, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

                          S This user is from outside of this forum
                          S This user is from outside of this forum
                          [email protected]
                          wrote last edited by
                          #107

                          Nothing about which to be ashamed. 🤓

                          There's a funny bit in "the last man on earth" where Kristen Schaal's character always corrects people when they end their sentences with a preposition. It shows how much more ridiculous her correction sounds.

                          ... Not a great show, but that bit was pretty funny.

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          1
                          • S [email protected]

                            Mooses and gooses

                            C This user is from outside of this forum
                            C This user is from outside of this forum
                            [email protected]
                            wrote last edited by
                            #108

                            I really like when non-native speakers say persons.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG [email protected]

                              The one thing I will insist on is the use of is/are. It's pretty simple, if referring to a countable set, use "are". E.g. there are four turtles in my sewer. You would not say "there are too much shit on this webpage", because that shit is uncountable.

                              C This user is from outside of this forum
                              C This user is from outside of this forum
                              [email protected]
                              wrote last edited by
                              #109

                              How do you feel when there's a contraction? Would you be okay with There's four turtles in my sewer or would you insist on There're four turtles in my sewer?

                              gradually_adjusting@lemmy.worldG 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • C [email protected]

                                @[email protected]

                                As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                                S This user is from outside of this forum
                                S This user is from outside of this forum
                                [email protected]
                                wrote last edited by
                                #110

                                By some standards, the Oxford comma is still incorrect grammar. I'll die on the hill that it has utility, and I'm glad it's becoming more of a commonly accepted convention.

                                infinitehench@lemmy.worldI 1 Reply Last reply
                                2
                                • B [email protected]

                                  I don't know if shouldn't've is grammatically correct but I hear it a lot so it seems like fair play. Same for other contractions that I never see in text, possibly because they're wrong. Because've. He'd've.

                                  Also like I'ma which can't possibly be ok, but "I am going to" is for suckers.

                                  S This user is from outside of this forum
                                  S This user is from outside of this forum
                                  [email protected]
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #111

                                  I think double contractions are cool. Maybe unnecessary, but cool and reflect real-world speech.

                                  If I may also propose some triple contraction abominations: I'dn't've (I would not have), he'dn't've (he would not have), she'dn't've (she would not have), etc.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  1
                                  • C [email protected]

                                    @[email protected]

                                    As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                                    wolfeh@lemmy.blahaj.zoneW This user is from outside of this forum
                                    wolfeh@lemmy.blahaj.zoneW This user is from outside of this forum
                                    [email protected]
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #112

                                    Using "they" as singular. Also, referring to animals besides humans as "he," "she," or "they" instead of "it."

                                    I usually am a grammar nazi, but these are things I do very intentionally.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    2
                                    • C [email protected]

                                      @[email protected]

                                      As in, doesn't matter at all to you.

                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      S This user is from outside of this forum
                                      [email protected]
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #113

                                      *defense

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • C [email protected]

                                        Ending a sentence with a preposition has been standard in English for longer than the language has existed, it's nothing to be ashamed of.

                                        T This user is from outside of this forum
                                        T This user is from outside of this forum
                                        [email protected]
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #114

                                        This is a thing up with which I will not put.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • slvrdrgn@lemmy.worldS [email protected]

                                          Nobody actually knows how to use "it begs the question" anyway. Even the ones who think they do.

                                          T This user is from outside of this forum
                                          T This user is from outside of this forum
                                          [email protected]
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #115

                                          … fine I’ll do it.

                                          That begs the question, how is it used properly?

                                          slvrdrgn@lemmy.worldS 1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups