Happy Grammar Day!

[javasaurus]

Happy Grammar Day according to an article at WTOP. I love the comments after the article -- a list of people's pet peeves about grammar. Many of them are not really about grammar, and some of them are technically wrong. I weep for the future of language in this country.

Comments

what, like

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

• Using adjectives with the word unique and other superlatives. If something is unique, it can't be most unique.

where most is really an adverb?

• Too often, people use "there's" (the contraction for "there is") with a plural noun. For example, "There's 64 teams in the tournament." It should be "there are 64 teams." Also, it is shocking to see how many people try to pluralize their family name with a possessive apostrophes: Merry Christmas from the Clark's.

This is missing the tradition being referenced. It isn't "The Clarks", it is "The Clark's [Home]" or "The [Family of the] Clark's]. There's a historical grammatical connection the person isn't seeing because we stopped using that level of flowery language in the 19th Century.

• "proactive"

is too a word. reactive is after, proactive is before (German variant on "pre"), both are used in relation to (usually opposition to) an action taken by another.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

You don't weep for the current state of language in this country? You're onto something here, what are some of your pet peeves?