How will you know they've fixed it unless you return?

Either way, I'm likely guilty of misuse myself, because it has become like "begging the question" -- the misuse is now the mainstream use.

I'm not 100% positive since I don't have a reference right here, but I believe that if you're using it to replace "because of," that that is incorrect.

"We were late to the game due to an accident on the highway" is wrong, AFAIK.

Something like "Our victory was due to our teamwork" is correct. ("Due to" as "could be attributed to.")

--

I only nit on this front because it was drilled into my head for some ungodly reason during SAT tutoring.

In like my first writing class in college, I openly corrected some dude at a peer review session, and everyone looked at me like I was the worst human being alive.

I think the use of proactive is the thing that sets me off the most (out of everything not yet mentioned), since proactive doesn't mean active--it means something like anticipatory, but people get ir right maybe one time in 10.

Truthfully, that's only part of the reason. None of their beers are worth $6 a pint ,with the exception of the Election Ale, and their service is usually slow.

Thanks, I wanted to make it my Stars avatar too, but I've apparently changed it too many times already.

How does substituting "because of" for 'due to' not work in the second one?

Their is too many posts in this thread. Their should be less.

"Our victory was because of our teamwork"? Seems pretty awful.

istewart, Brocktoon,

I found this on the internet, so it must be correct:

So basically istewart is right. You can say "Our victory was caused by our teamwork" but you can't say "We were late to the game caused by an accident on the highway."

I will halfheartedly inspect said menu in person on each full moon. Or just check online whenever.

Of all the grammar/spelling mistakes that tilt me, "alot" is easily the worst. How in the world do so many people think it's only one word?

Contains 100% lean "meat"!

Is all this and more the reason why people write with acronyms when posting?
I can understand shorthand when texting, but why here?
Fwiw I think it's lazy imo.
My favorite is "meh" - an actual word for a shoulder shrug.
The silliest is "*****". Or maybe it is "pwned". The one word everyone spells out but likes to do it the chiche wrong way.

Good thread. For some reason, the poorly-placed "apostrophes" make me laugh. I almost "wonder" if they're doing it "on" purpose.

I could go on forever. Legal briefs often contain horrible English.

it's/its
as/because
I/me
comma errors

Using proper English should be promoted, not looked down upon.

This is not properly footnoted.¹

¹Nits do it this way.

Overcompensation is significantly more annoying than not knowing. Since it has a certain smugness to it.

This is from my friends facebook:

People don't know the difference between then and than.

Also people incorrectly use "less" in place of "fewer" and vice versa.

Yes. And I'm also shocked by how often I see "noone." What? Isn't it always two words? "No one." No one. Why do I keep seeing noone? It looks ridiculous.

Agreed on the less/fewer thing. I hear that all the time, like sportscasters who say "They have less wins than USC!" No, they have fewer wins.

Similar to that is when I hear people say "velocity" when they just mean speed. Listen, people, you can say speed if you mean speed. You're not an uneducated moron if you say speed. But if you use velocity incorrectly, then you do look like a moron. Velocity is speed and direction. If you're just talking about speed, just ****ing say speed.

Here's another one I just thought of that you see on 2+2 a lot and it tilts the hell out of me.

When people unnecessarily put a "?" at the end of a statement.

Ex: "I wonder if he went busto?"

That is not a question, but a statement, and it only requires a period. It's a question if you phrase it thusly: "I wonder: Did he go busto?"

I hate people who use "weight" when they clearly mean "mass". How much do I weigh? 755 Newtons, bitch!

A theory that I'm too lazy to check is that many European nations use single quotes for actual quotes and double quotes for emphasis. The Italian barber who's cut my hair ever since I was born (almost literally) has signs all over his shop that are handmade that say things like this:


He's been in-a the U.S. for at least-a thirty years and still talks like he's-a from the old country.



While I'm here, and also lazy, what the hell is this thing:


I don't know what it is, I don't know what it's used for, and I don't know why it's on my keyboard instead of potentially more valuable characters like ¢ or º.

Alot of people think it's.

Bitwise OR.

Meh. The question mark add's an inflection to the sentence. All though not grammatically correct, useful when trying to emulate tone of voice.

Sounds like this book is right up your alley