All right. I realize I'm not perfect. I know I don't have a Master's in English. I don't even have an undergraduate degree in it - YET. And even though I had a wonderful high school English instructor, I realize not everyone thought of her in that light. I'm accepting of the fact that not everyone loves this language like I do, but that doesn't give you an excuse to butcher it!
Some of my top English peeves:
WRONG: "It's like deja vu all over again!" Hint: Deja vu means "an impression of having seen or experienced something before (Dictionary.com)."
RIGHT: "It's like deja vu!"
WRONG: "The oven needs cleaned." (This sentence structure is commonly found coming out of my husband's mouth.)
RIGHT: "The oven needs cleaning." OR "The oven needs to be cleaned."
WRONG: "Me and him are going to the mall."
RIGHT: "Matt (or he) and I are going to the mall." (This one was taught to us as far back as elementary school, yet it's one of the most commonly misspoken sentences.)
WRONG: "I seen that movie last week!"
RIGHT: "I saw that movie last week!" (Again, try to remember what you were taught!)
On a related topic, I was always told throughout my English education that this is the way to properly form this sentence:
----That's the Skunes' house. (My maiden name - it posed many challenges.)
However, after doing a little research, I've discovered that it's ok to write it this way:
----That's the Skunes's house.
I have to tell you, I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I was taught that if the word ends in an 'S' already, you only need to add an apostrophe to make it possessive - no need for another 'S'. Could someone PLEASE clear this up?
1 comment:
I can clear it up. It's one of those pesky English rules that provides for optional things: commas sometimes fall in this category, too. This is exactly why people come to despise English teachers.
In unrelated news, that Sesame Street DVD with Amy Sedaris? I must have it!
Post a Comment