A Grammar lesson

Very little bothers me more than Americans who cannot speak or write English. Poor or incorrect usage, sentence structure, and spelling are big issues with me. And it's really not that hard, I promise.

Here you will find listed the most frequently found mistakes/confusions and the correction. A lot of you should probably bookmark this page for future reference. So, if the shoe fits, e.e., lace it up and let's go.

Their - belonging to them. Their grammar was so horrible the English teacher committed himself.
They're - a contraction formed by combining THEY and ARE. They're going to kick your ass for speaking like a hillbilly!
There - a place. Don't go there!

Your - belonging to you. Your diary sucks. Your momma wears combat boots.
You're - a contraction formed by combining YOU and ARE. You're ugly. You're going to jail!

Lay - to set something down; also the act of putting yourself in a prone position. I lay my gloves on the table and went to the kitchen. The dog just lay there while I brushed him. I lay down on the sofa for an hour because I felt sick.
Lie - You have to lay (put) objects; people (and things) lie on their own. Lay down your gun, son! Why don't you go lie down for awhile?
Laid - the past tense of setting down an object. (In addition to the other definition!) You need to get laid!
Lain - past tense of someone lying down. She had lain around all weekend and was still tired.

Sit & Set - Like "Lay" and "Lie"; People and things SIT around on their own. You have to SET something, physically. Don't say something "set around the house". It SAT around. You SET it down, and now it SITS there. I don't like all this stuff sitting around my house. She set the joint down in the ashtray.

a lot - TWO words. Not "alot" not "allot".

voila - this is a foreign word. It is not spelled "wa-la" or "waa-la"

ridiculous - not rediculous... nora.
 

This page will get added to. I guarantee it.

I bitched on Wednesday, July 03, 2002.