These simple grammar and design mistakes bother us. What annoys you?

I'm not sure if it my age or my children's education but some brain cells die when my two kids say they 'versed' or are 'versing' someone. As in, "I'm versing Sam in GTA right now" or "Who am I versing in my hockey game this weekend?" 

Is that a thing now? 

In this thread, replacing "technologies" with "grammar":

Sarah Young said:

Here's a peak at the entire C section of our house style guide. 

LOL at peak vs. peek, in this context, from the thread-starter.

Old_Town said:

I'm not sure if it my age or my children's education but some brain cells die when my two kids say they 'versed' or are 'versing' someone. As in, "I'm versing Sam in GTA right now" or "Who am I versing in my hockey game this weekend?" 

Is that a thing now? 

If I heard my kids say that they would suddenly be versed in getting slapped upside the head.

I had a disagreement with a PhD math professor from Oxford once.  They ended up being wrong.  I find their comma just about as useful.  I also wouldn't let my daughter attend their institution or any other host of big name universities for a variety of reasons.  
 

I'd tell you the grammar issue that bothers me most but the forum would erupt in rage.  

In reply to z31maniac :

Two things can be true. It's a title and a joke about panda bears with guns. A delightful combo. 

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Sarah Young said:

Here's a peak at the entire C section of our house style guide. 

LOL at peak vs. peek, in this context, from the thread-starter.

Kill me. 

How about the rampant abuse of the word "literally"?

wae said:

How about the rampant abuse of the word "literally"?

Must not post snarky comment......must resist, must resist.

Tom1200 said:

wae said:

How about the rampant abuse of the word "literally"?

Must not post snarky comment......must resist, must resist.

It's literally impossible not to. 

A personal design thing that bugs me: graphics that are supposed to resemble handwriting. 

For an example, my own BMX frame:

I just find it looking a bit weak. I bought my frame like 8 years ago, though, and S&M is still using that look so I guess they’re happy with it. I just wish it had bolder graphics. 

I dislike when required punctuation is not used and the end result is misdirection.

This courtesy of Hilti:

Incorrect:  100 Skeena North, Vancouver BC

Correct:     100 Skeena, North Vancouver BC

Two different cities fortunately each is not far from the bridge one must cross.

This leads to my belief that punctuation is really important.

In reply to SV reX :

"They" isn't an exclusively plural word in the linguistic sense. The singular "they" has been in use since around the 14th century and is a regular part of the English language. If continuing to use the singular they makes more of us at ease in the world, I'm not sure why it would be something to refuse to adjust to, especially when there are ways to ask for clarification on who "they" is in any context without actively misgendering them.

As someone who is a bit of a linguistics geek, my pet peeve is when people get uptight about old rules and/or refuse to acknowledge that language, especially spoken language and casual writing, is flexible.

Embracing that flexibility makes you better at communicating not just facts, but also emotions and what the kids these days call *vibes*. The way a person writes or speaks gives context clues about where they're from, what media they consume, and what level they're trying to connect with their audience on. What some see as a grammatical mistake might be an allusion to a meme or other piece of media that the writer/speaker knows their audience has also consumed and will remember.

Words and grammar rules are constantly being transformed, adapted for new uses, borrowed from other languages or even invented from scratch to describe new objects or experiences. That's why even the major style guides get annual updates. 

Nicole Suddard said:

actively misgendering them.

before i can misgender someone, do i first have to gender them?  and is gender really a verb these days? i know what you mean, so please don't take this as an opportunity to educate me about incorrectly assuming someone's gender. but i vehemently protest "gender" as a verb.

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

The one that drives me crazy at work is "solution".  As in, "Bill can you solution the storage portion of this RFP response?"

Also, I am only willing to admit that it's okay to use words however you want because "language evolves" if we also agree that it's okay for me to think someone's an uneducated buffoon when they literally can't even.

Verbing nouns makes me imagine someone like Christina Ricci's character in Matrix: Resurrections.

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

Verbing nouns makes me imagine someone like Christina Ricci's character in Matrix: Resurrections.

sometimes it makes sense, like how i use google to google.  

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Nicole Suddard said:

actively misgendering them.

before i can misgender someone, do i first have to gender them?  and is gender really a verb these days? i know what you mean, so please don't take this as an opportunity to educate me about incorrectly assuming someone's gender. but i vehemently protest "gender" as a verb.

Tons of words get verbified in the name of clarity and brevity. Ever "email" anything? Ever "microwave" popcorn? Language is as much an organism as it is a system, which is one of the super fun things about it. 

Sarah Young said:

AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) said:

Sarah Young said:

Here's a peak at the entire C section of our house style guide. 

LOL at peak vs. peek, in this context, from the thread-starter.

Kill me. 

Literally?

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

"Gender" isn't a verb but "misgender" is. Merriam Webster tells me it's been in use since 1989.

As an aside, is anyone else trying REALLY hard with their grammar and spelling in their replies here?

Nicole Suddard said:

In reply to SV reX :

"They" isn't an exclusively plural word in the linguistic sense. The singular "they" has been in use since around the 14th century and is a regular part of the English language. If continuing to use the singular they makes more of us at ease in the world, I'm not sure why it would be something to refuse to adjust to, especially when there are ways to ask for clarification on who "they" is in any context without actively misgendering them.

The problem with "they" and pronouns in general is that, whether speaking or writing, in an ongoing conversation or paragraph it leaves the reader or listener wondering which they, she, or he one is referring to.

I typically refer to a person by name; from a contracting standpoint pronouns are out. I like to carry that over to personal life as well because it cuts down on any confusion. 

thatsnowinnebago said:

As an aside, is anyone else trying REALLY hard with their grammar and spelling in their replies here?

No...............I'm phoning the grammar in as usual..........also note my proof reading is crap as well; because it's a forum.

Worrying about such things on a forum would be like wearing a tux to a barbeque at the beach.

thatsnowinnebago said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

As an aside, is anyone else trying REALLY hard with their grammar and spelling in their replies here?

Sarah Young clearly is.