<p>baited/bated</p>
<p>less/ fewer</p>
<p>and more and more? Duel/dual</p>
<p>I hate it when people misuse the word “literally”</p>
<p>I’ll bet when the students discuss costs, they are wary, but the parents are sooooo weary. I’ve been paying for private schools for 17 years, and when I read the thread title, I thought, “Yes!” Then I realized it was a grammar thread. </p>
<p>13 more payments and we are done forever!! I can live with poor grammar, give me lower tuition payments.</p>
<p>“I will try and go today.” No, “I will try to go today.” Unless you’re planning to try (something) and also go…</p>
<p>I keep seeing “for all intensive purposes” instead of “for all intents and purposes”.</p>
<p>
Yes! I mean, No!</p>
<p>For all intensive purposes</p>
<p>No, it’s “for all intents and purposes.”</p>
<p>@patsmom lol…cross-post!</p>
<p>It is time for everyone to watch Weird Al’s Word Crimes video on YouTube.</p>
<p>How many of you are accustomed to hearing spendy? </p>
<p>Fowler and certain other prescriptive grammarians are big proponents of “try and” as an acceptable idiom, and even claim that it is preferable in some circumstances. I just moved and haven’t unpacked my books so I can’t provide citations. But it is very common in erudite edited prose and certainly acceptable in informal message board posts.</p>
<p>So many people, even educated ones, do not use “its” and “it’s” correctly. I see this error everywhere, all the time, probably because people are trained to believe that an apostrophe means a possessive. Not in this case.</p>
<p>“Whom” is dying. “To whom am I speaking?” “Whom are you going to call?” You sound like a butler from a 30s movie. </p>
<p>Usage changes with time. Pronunciations are regional, not necessarily signs of ignorance. I’m more annoyed by people trying for the grandiose and failing than I am by people who express themselves clearly if inelegantly. Example: saying “irregardless” when you mean “regardless.”</p>
<p>I type homonyms all the time. It got really bad when I lived in Germany for five years and I’ve never really recovered. I’m therefore more bothered by the ones that really are different words and pronunciations. I’m frequently horrified by my posts which are past the editing time. </p>
<p>Re: literally: I think the obsession with banning the figurative use of this word is silly. We allow all other words in the English language to be used figuratively; why not “literally”? It is often used as an intensifier in its figurative sense with no ambiguity, and has been for at least 150 years. So why it has become a touchstone for poor usage is beyond me.</p>
<p>“So many people, even educated ones, do not use “its” and “it’s” correctly. I see this error everywhere, all the time, probably because people are trained to believe that an apostrophe means a possessive. Not in this case.”</p>
<p>I think you are all making too much of this. Imo, I think people are just sloppy when writing on a message board. I often put in an apostrophe where I know one doesn’t apply. I frequently write no when I mean know and their when I mean there. It just happens - like my fingers are doing something different than my brain. </p>
<p>If I see it before the 15 minutes are up - I sometime edit. Other times, I just say, eff it. If someone can’t tell what I am saying thats there problem. 
</p>
<p>I hate those who confuse advice and advise. </p>
<p>
I always use, “To whom am I speaking?” and “Whom are you going to call?” Sounds normal & unbutler-like to me.</p>
<p>“Whom” is dying is incorrect; it’s “who” is dying. Who is the subjective case (like He). Whom is the objective case (like Him). You wouldn’t say: “Him” is dying. It’s “He” is dying.</p>
<p>I understand colloquial speech and regional variations, as well as the informality of many conversations.</p>
<p>But that does not excuse “should of went” or other egregious violations of the English language.</p>
<p>I got a Christmas invitation to “the Hamilton’s.” Made me want to run right over there and offer a free grammar lesson. ;)</p>