Have you ever found yourself doing something and thinking, "I'm really a jerk?" I hope others have that thought, too . I don't want to be the only one. My job requires me to correct people. Part of what I do includes editing and approving others' work.
Around the third or fourth time you correct someone's grammar, word use or punctuation, you start to feel like an anal, unreasonable, English freak.
Around the fifth or sixth time, you start to become a bit perturbed. We all make mistakes. I like to think I'm the first to admit mine, but when grown adults don't know "its" from "it's," I'm irked. When "they're" and "their" are constantly confused, and complete sentences are repeatedly united with commas, how can one keep her frustration in check?
I try not two correct my friends but their half been times when there e-mails where so jacked up, but I honestly didn't now what they were trying to convey.
I had to call them on it 'cause after all, English is their first language.
I know I sound like a jerk. Right? I try to reign it in when I can, but honestly. What's a girl to do?
Obviously, ignoring the rules of standard American English is a pet peeve of mine. What pet peeve makes you seem like a jerk? No one's judging here. Just vent. Let it all out.
1 comment:
Im not much of a grammar snob, especially since I am prone to errors myself. Its not that I can't spell but for some reason I find that I often hit the right keys in wrogn roder.
What really drives me crazy is when people correct my grammar and then proceed to maul the grammatical rules themselves. I find the phrase "you dont speak good english" most worthy of an open handed smack in the mouth.
I'm told my induction into the jerk hall of fame is a reslut of my propensity to give compliments and insluts at the same time.
i.e. "I really like that blouse you have on. I like the way it hides your gut"
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