Another pet peeve I have is the misuse of words. Following are some examples that I often see when I am editing and occasionally see when I am reading books, which is even more irritating.
Misuse of “it’s” instead of” its.” I see people using “it’s” as a possessive all the time.” It’s” a contraction for” it is.”
And people often make a word plural by adding “‘s” instead of just an “s.”
And what about desert for dessert. Having spent quite a bit of time at my mother’s in Phoenix, I don’t think I’d like to eat the desert!
And although it seems acceptable today, I don’t like people to be “thats.”
Cindy is a girl that has a sense of humor.
Cindy is a girl who has a sense of humor. [Correct version]
And what about singulars used as plurals:
No one comes to dinner late. [Correct version]
No one come to dinner late.
A group of children is standing on the corner. [Correct version]
A group of children are standing on the corner.
Let’s discuss this last one a little bit.
Everyone has lost his sense of humor. It’s actually grammatically correct.
Everyone has lost their sense of humor. This version keeps it from being politically incorrect.
Ahhhhh-the English-language. I feel sorry for immigrants and foreigners who are trying to master our very difficult English language which doesn’t play by the rules much of the time.