A Grammar Rule I Didn't Know

Bonnie

August 19, 2020 8:57pm 8:57 pm

I have lots of grammar pet peeves…
1. Using “myself” incorrectly, as in “You can call Joe or myself.”
2. The fairly new use of the word “ask” as a noun, as in “That’s a pretty big ask.”
3. “I seen it.”
4. This odd, recent trend of adding “ing” to verbs that were fine as-is. Why would you say “I’m loving that” or “I’m wanting to know” when you could say “I love that” or “I want to know.” This makes no sense!!
5. Using the wrong pronoun form, as in “Him and I are going to the store.”
Not grammatically incorrect, but why do so many people at work constantly talk about “reaching out?” Why so dramatic? Are we drowning? What happened to “contact me” or call or email?
So many others…

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Kathleen Flynn

August 19, 2020 2:38pm 2:38 pm

Folks often use I, the nominative case pronoun, when they should use me, the objective case pronoun, for example, “Just between you and I.” As object of the preposition between, the pronoun should be the objective case me.

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Eliza

July 17, 2018 4:16am 4:16 am

Love this. Thank you for sharing this informative post.

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Sarah

March 10, 2015 3:45pm 3:45 pm

Lol I like nerdy posts! I don’t think I actually knew this was a rule, but I’m pretty sure I say it correctly anyway. I guess Grammar class in elementary school wasn’t completely wasted on me after all!

Sarah
Sweet Spontaneity

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Alexa

March 10, 2015 3:45pm 3:45 pm

I totally nerd out over this stuff, too, so thank you!! To this day, I still struggle with who vs. whom. Any good rules of thumb for that one?

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Kadija Tyler

March 10, 2015 3:38pm 3:38 pm

I think I’ve used this before, BUT I had no idea! Sometimes when I’m unsure, I just go with what “feels” right. It often works for me :)

kadijatyler.blogspot.com

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Amber Marlow

March 10, 2015 4:06pm 4:06 pm

What about something that is a lot, but finite? Is it:

“What state is he from?”

or

“Which state is he from?”

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Becca

March 10, 2015 4:04pm 4:04 pm

YAY! Keep these coming!

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Chloe S

March 10, 2015 4:03pm 4:03 pm

This blog post solidifies you as the coolest blogger out there. Fashion sense + grammar intelligence + fun = your hubs hit the jackpot.

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Alina Valero

March 10, 2015 4:02pm 4:02 pm

I actually knew this! Another good one is further vs. farther (farther is distance, further is everything else) and I HATE when people misuse “utilize”. It’s not a fancy word for “use”!

I also hate when people say the last word of an acronym again, like “ATM Machine”. It’s like saying “machine” twice -.-

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T

March 10, 2015 4:00pm 4:00 pm

The way I always remember this rule is by thinking of the phrase “Which of these” – so, for instance, you would say “Which of these shoes do you like?” Not, “What of these shoes do you like?” “Of these” reminds you that there is a set number of choices.

Yay grammar nerdism! :)

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TinaGreece (Tina Crisas)

March 10, 2015 3:58pm 3:58 pm

Loved this!!! Thank you!! I have to say, I would gravitate towards using which or what rather correctly as in the examples, BUT had no idea as to why!

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Judy Lewis

March 10, 2015 3:56pm 3:56 pm

I was an English major, so this may be unfair. My pet peeve is the pluralization of family names, esp on holiday cards! I grew up as a Nelson, so the card to my parents should go to The Nelsons–not The Nelson’s. That possessive is only needed if you are referring to something that belongs to my family and then it would be s’. For example, The Nelsons’ Fat Cat. Now I am a Lewis, so our card could go to The Lewises. Simple plural. Simple plural, people! That’s it!

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TinaGreece (Tina Crisas)

March 10, 2015 3:55pm 3:55 pm

Loved this!!!!! Thank you!!!! I would have to say I would gravitate towards saying which or what correctly as in the above examoles, BUT did not know why!

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Heather M

March 10, 2015 3:55pm 3:55 pm

Pinned :) I’m a sucker for grammar. Thanks!

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Melissa

March 10, 2015 3:54pm 3:54 pm

pet peeve: misusing “fewer” vs. “less”

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Dayna Goldman

March 10, 2015 3:52pm 3:52 pm

You are a nerd, but I dig it :). No shame in your grammar game.

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Lindsey Osborne

March 10, 2015 3:52pm 3:52 pm

GRAMMAR!!!!!

That’s how I feel about it :-)

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Trena

March 10, 2015 3:51pm 3:51 pm

Love it! I always become annoyed when people say they are “good” when they are actually “well.” And when people say “these are them” or “those are them” when it should be “these are they” or “those are they.”

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KateK

March 10, 2015 3:50pm 3:50 pm

Please don’t stop, because I love these grammar posts! I’m happy to be a nerd. :)

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Danielle S.

March 10, 2015 3:50pm 3:50 pm

Ha, I love the image you used for this post! I’m quite the grammar nerd, but I realize that colloquial English doesn’t follow grammatical rules in most instances. I do like to know the proper way to say/write things, though, especially for blog posts. I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to this, but my biggest one is probably that people still don’t know the difference between when to use “your” or “you’re.” It only takes a second to really think about it!

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Ashley Antkowiak

March 10, 2015 3:49pm 3:49 pm

I love grammar (nerd!🙌) and had no idea! Now can you explain the oxford comma rule?

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LB

March 10, 2015 3:46pm 3:46 pm

Ooh! ooh! How about a grammar post about the use of is/are? I see more “Here is [or Here’s] my favorite photos…” and similar incorrect uses of the singular “is” with plural subjects all over the blog world. This grammar rule is my mom’s “thing” and clearly I have inherited it :)

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hannahjoyhopes

March 10, 2015 4:54pm 4:54 pm

Reminds me of the much/many issue. It’s another one of those grammar rules that deals with things you can count. So like, “There are so many comments here!” vs “There is so much grammar nerd love happening right now.” One is a countable noun (number of comments), one isn’t (amount of grammar nerd love). As always with these things, now that you know about it, you’re going to hear everyone misuse it. EVERYONE.

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notyourhistory

March 10, 2015 4:52pm 4:52 pm

I absolutely love your blog AND this post! I am a total grammar nerd so I love this!

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Devon P

March 10, 2015 4:50pm 4:50 pm

‘Suppose to’ and ‘use to’ as opposed to ‘Supposed to’ and ‘Used to’. So annoying!

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Dale Burgess

March 10, 2015 4:49pm 4:49 pm

Pet peeve, ‘can we?’ when it should be ‘shall we?’ i.e. ‘Can we go to the zoo tomorrow?’ Er yes! It is physically possible, but you actually mean ‘shall we go to the zoo tomorrow?’ Also, ‘shall’ is such a lovely word!

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Rebeka

March 10, 2015 4:37pm 4:37 pm

I did not know that. Bring on all the grammar posts, I love them!

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Suse

March 10, 2015 4:34pm 4:34 pm

Good one!
Pet peeves: ” a whole nother” vs. “a whole Other” and “anyways” vs. “anyway” eesh

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openid

March 10, 2015 4:33pm 4:33 pm

I just listened to the Reply All podcast episode about a man that is editing all of Wikipedia for use of the phrase “comprised of.” Apparently it’s wrong! “Comprises” means includes so you wouldn’t say “includes of.” I thought it was so interesting!

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annie gray

March 10, 2015 4:32pm 4:32 pm

You’re too good. I love it.

I cringe at the use of the word “journal” as a verb.

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Maiz Connolly

March 10, 2015 4:19pm 4:19 pm

It is really not so different from “how many” vs. “how much,” right?

Also, you comma commenters, if you bear with it, this recent New Yorker article will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about commas:

Holy Writ by Mary Norris

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Jen

March 10, 2015 4:14pm 4:14 pm

A who/whom trick I use is to rephrase the sentence using either he/she or him/her.

For example, sentence in question:
Whom do these books belong to? OR

Who do these books belong to?

Option A: They belong to him/her.
Option B: They belong to he/she.

Option A makes more sense.

Now here’s the key – if it’s him/her, the word to use is WHOM. If it’s he/she, the word to use is WHO.

Hope that helps!

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skaggs

March 10, 2015 4:13pm 4:13 pm

great tip!

I LOATHE when people don’t use the correct version of they’re/their/ there. Or your/you’re. And when people say “seen”. For example, “I seen him last week”. Instead of “I saw him”. Drives me nuts!

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Renee Hwang

March 10, 2015 4:09pm 4:09 pm

I am not the best with grammar, but incorrectly used “less” and “fewer” do drive me nuts—you can count fewer, and pour less.

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Joanna Goddard

March 10, 2015 4:09pm 4:09 pm

T, good tip!

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Joanna Goddard

March 10, 2015 4:09pm 4:09 pm

hahaha, chloe, thank you! made my day:)

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Natalie Snyder

March 10, 2015 4:08pm 4:08 pm

These posts are always so fun and fascinating! :)

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Erin and Katherine

March 10, 2015 4:07pm 4:07 pm

What a fun fact! I hope I normally the use the right one, haha!! I actually read a few weeks ago about the oxford comma, always learning :)

Erin | Erin and Katherine Talk Beauty

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Manu Sanchez

March 10, 2015 5:44pm 5:44 pm

Ha! It’s funny how people who learned English as a second language are familiar with these grammar rules, whereas native speakers struggle with them. I cringe everytime I read ‘then’ instead of ‘than’or ‘would of’ instead of ‘would have’. But I know that the same happens in every language. I probably make a few grammar mistakes in Spanish myself, but when you’re used to them, you don’t notice. Besos!

http://ramblingcolors.com

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matti

March 10, 2015 5:41pm 5:41 pm

i have always been a grammar nerd (hello, degree in english) but i actually learned this rule in high school while studying spanish! we went over question words and learned the difference in spanish between que (what) and cual (which), and that translated (literally) to english.

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Kathryn

March 10, 2015 5:40pm 5:40 pm

My grammar pet peeve is when people use the word “which” wrong, like, “I actually like vanilla ice cream which, it’s not my favorite but I don’t hate it.” Once I heard it the first time and it gave me that nails on a chalkboard feeling, I can’t help but notice it. Even when my husband does it I yell, “You used “which” wrong!”. Which is not the same as but! It only connects ideas that relate to each other! “I actually like vanilla ice cream which makes sense because all ice cream needs to get in my belly NOW!”

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bisbee

March 10, 2015 5:32pm 5:32 pm

Another grammar nerd…my pet peeve is the misuse of “I” and “me”. I hear it on TV, my boss uses it incorrectly…I could scream! People think “I” is always correct…when they don’t know the very simple rule. Arghhhh!

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Anne

March 10, 2015 5:28pm 5:28 pm

No apologizing for ‘nerdy’ posts – if something is interesting, then it’s interesting, no need to qualify it.

As an engineer this is a pet peeve of mine. Apologizing just makes it seem like there’s something bad about being curious about how the world works. The world is actually crazy cool though, and if you’re not interested in it, you’re nuts!

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spunthoughts

March 10, 2015 5:28pm 5:28 pm

“IRREGARDLESS”! Drives me crazy. Though it’s been accepted by some dictionaries as being correct now because so many people use it instead of “regardless.”

Thanks for the post. Love all the comments.

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Anne@ArtyGreen in Paradise

March 10, 2015 5:22pm 5:22 pm

That made me think. I normally use them correctly, but hadn’t really thought about a rule – now I know!

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AG

March 10, 2015 5:12pm 5:12 pm

Composed of vs. comprise. URgh kills me!

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Heather M

March 10, 2015 5:08pm 5:08 pm

I love grammar! I *think* that I knew follow this rule fluently without having seen it actually explained… but now I’m going to pay attention to make sure!

A couple others that I like:
Less vs. fewer
Which vs. that

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Linh

March 10, 2015 5:08pm 5:08 pm

Love grammar posts! Keep them coming.

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Little Hiccups

March 10, 2015 4:57pm 4:57 pm

I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to grammar but the one that drives me crazy on a daily basis on Facebook is people saying “would of/should of/could of” instead of “would have/should have/could have” or “would’ve/should’ve/could’ve”.

The other thing that drives me crazy about this, it that my computer thinks “should’ve” and “could’ve” are spelling mistakes! I’m Australian and my computer is American, so I just put it down to an incompatibility between us ;)

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Melissa Blake

March 10, 2015 4:56pm 4:56 pm

Grammar is cool….after all, one of the taglines on my blog is “smart is the new sexy.” That, and I once devoted a whole post to the marvels of the exclamation point! :)

I’d heard of this one before, but still get tripped up sometimes.

Another one that drives me CRAZY is when people misuse the word “entitled” and use it when they’re saying “The book was entitled…”

No, no, no… ok, will end my rant lol

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Rachel

March 10, 2015 4:55pm 4:55 pm

I’m proud to say that I did know this one. My biggest annoyance is when someone uses “I” when “me” is actually correct. I blame our second grade teachers for drilling “I” into us.

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Tamara Laird

March 10, 2015 4:55pm 4:55 pm

LOVE grammar posts! Keep ’em coming!

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Georgia

March 10, 2015 7:46pm 7:46 pm

love this post. Own the nerdy. Own it, girl!

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Carly

March 10, 2015 7:00pm 7:00 pm

Love this post! I think you should start doing weekly or even monthly posts on grammar rules.

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Jessica Quadra Andrews

March 10, 2015 6:55pm 6:55 pm

This is great! I’ve read about which vs. what several times but the lesson has never stuck. This one will, I’m sure!

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RB

March 10, 2015 6:40pm 6:40 pm

This is great — I love your grammar posts!
I have a question for you and your lovely readers: do you “home” in on something or “hone” in? My boss and I have been debating!

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shawn

March 10, 2015 6:38pm 6:38 pm

I’m a writer/editor and love stuff like this. Thanks for sharing! I’ll always think of the rule when “what/which” comes up.

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Baugh

March 10, 2015 6:37pm 6:37 pm

Love this post! I struggle with people who say “I could care less” when it should be “I could not care less”. Not a big deal.. I just notice it more often than not.

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Carrie King Watson

March 10, 2015 6:32pm 6:32 pm

Love this! One of my (many!)grammar peeves is using since in place of because. Since should only refer to time!

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Amanda Sharpe

March 10, 2015 6:30pm 6:30 pm

How cute are the kitties! I love thiose pictures.

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madiebaby

March 10, 2015 6:22pm 6:22 pm

It drives me crazy when people don’t know how when to use “I” vs “Me”- maybe you could do your next nerdy grammar post on that! You should be able to remove the other person from the sentence and it will still read correctly. For example, “Michael and I went to the store.” Not “Michael and me went to the store.” You would never say “me went to the store”. There are many more examples of the same rule… my mom drilled it into us!

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sarah

March 10, 2015 6:14pm 6:14 pm

Grammar nerdiness is awesome, and I fully support, but can we talk about those kitties for a sec?!? So sweet!

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Anna of the Mutton Years

March 10, 2015 6:11pm 6:11 pm

Thank you from nerdy grammatical UK. I think I use them correctly instinctively but do not remember being taught it.

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haru

March 10, 2015 5:57pm 5:57 pm

haha love it! my grammar pet peeve (or one of them) = “the reason is because …”

it’s “the reason is that …”! or “[i was late] because …”!

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Robyn Proctor Hinkle

March 10, 2015 5:57pm 5:57 pm

Hmmm I’ve never really thought of that one! I’m sure my sister-in-law(she’s always talking about grammar) probably knows this one. Thanks for sharing! :)

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dotcomdarling.com

March 10, 2015 5:50pm 5:50 pm

I did not know this! I’m definitely going to remember this from now on :) also probably smugly point out someone else’s error!
x

Dotcomdarling.com

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Molly Martin

March 10, 2015 5:46pm 5:46 pm

As someone who works in the advertising world, I really appreciate learning tricks like this. It will help with copy editing moving forward. Thank you for sharing!

xo
MM

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Lauren Fraley

March 10, 2015 5:46pm 5:46 pm

Love these posts. The nerdy content on Cup of Jo is some of my favorite, including the more personal posts – it seems true to who you are, and I love it!

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Cait

March 10, 2015 11:30pm 11:30 pm

I recently discovered Grammarly.com and it is very helpful. Apparently there are several sub-groups of grammar nerd; you can figure out your classification here: http://www.grammarly.com/blog/2015/celebrate-grammar-day-with-this-fun-quiz/?quiz

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A Grammar Rule I Didn’t Know