grammar pet peeves (thing)

See all of grammar pet peeves, there are 6 more in this node.

by Ed Halley

Mon Apr 03 2000 at 16:09:57

Any number of pet peeves that annoy literate people. See also spelling pet peeves!

lose vs loose
He loosed the hounds, so as not to lose the fox.
His saddle was loose, he better not lose his grip.
If you need another mnemonic, think 'lose' has lost another 'o'.

it's vs its
The car had a dent in its hood. It's a good thing the engine still ran.
She tries its radio, but it's too far from town.
No possessive pronoun uses an apostrophe: His, Her, Its, Your, Their, Our.

there vs their vs they're
They're going to take their dogs to the park down there.
There was the writeup; they're writing about their peeves.
Think (t here), (their), (they'are).

your vs you're
You're likely to break your leg with that stunt.
You're gracious to lend me your jacket.
Again, no possessive pronoun has an apostrophe. Think (you'are).

then vs than
She went to the store, then to the carwash. It was hotter than Hades at the sauna.
Funny thing, programmers never spell if-then wrong, but many don't know that than is a word.

affect vs effect
His speech affected the audience, and effected discussion in the legislature.
She turned the knob without knowing what it would affect; she decided she liked the new effect.
To 'affect' something is to change it somehow. An 'effect' is indirect: the results of a change.

irony vs juxtaposition
It was ironic that Ted Kaczinski was so against technology, but was only found when his manifesto was published on the Internet.
It was a coincidence that it was Ted Kaczinski's own brother who turned him in.
The word 'irony' implies unexpected opposites; two things together that make you go 'hmm' is just a meaningful juxtaposition.

begs the question vs raises the question
The phrase begs the question means that you've answered some question with something that also needs to be answered.

would of vs would have
She would have fixed the dent, but that would have cost her a lot of money.
The word 'of' is a preposition. Prepositions don't go in front of verbs.

Got a grammar pet peeve?