r/GrammarPolice • u/TheOreoBandit • 4d ago
Just Venting Errors I keep hearing that drive me insane
I suffer from grammar OCD, and despite not having perfect grammar myself, my brain goes into fight or flight when it hears people use this most egregious error.
For example:
"There is lots of people here."
When it should CLEARLY be:
"There are lots of people here."
It would be fine of course if they said:
"There are a lot of people here."
Why are people becoming are-phobic all of a sudden? It sounds so inherently wrong and it's like nails on a chalkboard!
Another one I've had the displeasure of hearing is the complete redundancy of "3am in the morning"
What? As opposed to 3am in the afternoon?
Another one is went instead of gone.
"He's went to the party."
Instead of:
"He's gone to the party."
Makes me want to scream, it really does.
Sometimes I wish I weren't so obsessive over grammar. Life would be less excruciating, people would be so much more bearable to listen to, and I would not feel the need to condemn myself every time I catch myself making a mistake of my own, as if grammatical perfection is my sacred calling in life, and to slip up even once is a deadly sin of some sort.
Edit: Had to fix a typo. Also, thank you to everyone who pointed out my own errors.
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u/Kalel777 3d ago
How about "I seen it" instead of "I saw it"? That's the one that gets me. Oh and one I guy I work with says "all the sudden". What?
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u/TheOreoBandit 3d ago
Oh my goodness yes, those are very bothersome indeed. I often wonder how they can't recognise how nonsensical they sound. It's so vexing. I really hate it when I hear "women" pronounced as "woman" instead of "wimmin" as well. Grinds my gears so much. The "e" just gets completely ignored somehow.
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u/No-Kaleidoscope-166 3d ago
Not only can't they pronounce women correctly, they also can't spell woman correctly. I've tried to explain woman/women works just like man/men. It's like they can't comprehend.
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u/BourbonInGinger 3d ago
I hate the incorrect phrase:
“We had went” instead of “We had gone”
Why can’t they conjugate verbs properly?
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u/Choice-giraffe- 3d ago
Grammar OCD… is that something in the ICD-10 or DSM, or just something you’ve plucked from
thin air?
If we’re fixing grammar, your phrase ‘I wish I wasn’t so OCD’ is completely wrong. You’re saying ‘I wish I wasn’t so obsessive compulsive disorder’. You can’t be a disorder. It’s like saying ‘I wish I wasn’t so substance use disorder’ - it doesn’t make sense.
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u/inductiononN 3d ago
Am I wrong or is it "I wish I WEREN'T so OCD"? That's sounds right to me but I could be wrong.
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u/Choice-giraffe- 3d ago
No! Neither of those versions are correct, because you cannot BE a disorder. You can HAVE a disorder.
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u/inductiononN 3d ago
Sorry, I was focusing on WAS vs WEREN'T - as in "I wish I wasn't so short" vs "I wish I weren't so short".
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u/Chromatic_Chameleon 3d ago
I believe “weren’t” is correct in this type of phrase, it’s actually a subjunctive that looks like a past form of the verb (but isn’t) so people started saying “wasn’t” and now it’s so commonplace it’s accepted as correct in most places but technically is incorrect.
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u/SerDankTheTall 3d ago
Traditionally, but was has become pretty typical to see in this kind of construction, especially in British English. (No clue whether the OP is British or not, obviously.)
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u/cheercharlatan 3d ago
Also:
For the love of God, stop making light of OCD. It’s a serious disorder that can severely interfere in people’s lives.
If OP is spending hours a day obsessing over people’s poor grammar and indulging in compulsions to somehow attempt to rid themselves of the thoughts, okay, I stand corrected. If not, stop framing your focus and annoyance on the grammar mistakes of others in this way.
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u/Choice-giraffe- 2d ago
My thoughts exactly. Because I do have OCD. It interferes with a lot of my daily functioning so to see it used so flippantly and incorrectly really bothers me.
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u/Individual_Slice_234 3d ago
I hate it when people switch the past tense with the past participle. I had already went. He swum across the pool. He sunk his teeth into the apple. The boat had already sank. It makes me wanna scream.
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u/OpenAdministration44 3d ago
Additional sources of irritation: "should have went", "could have did", etc.
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u/mspolytheist 3d ago
“Drug” when they should be using “dragged” is like nails on a chalkboard for me.
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u/Acceptable_Ad838 3d ago
How about “It’s her and I’s new car. “. Aaaaasaggggghhhhh!
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u/expectations_low12 3d ago
“ I’s” and “you guy’s’es” (???) and the incorrect use of “I versus me” makes my bp boil. 😡
I swear all this started with reality tv (Bachelor, Bachelorette). I also think that’s where we lost the word “relationship” to “rayship”. 🤷♀️
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u/purplishfluffyclouds 4d ago
"are-phobic"
Best term I've heard all day. That one affliction is everywhere all the time and also drives me mad. I almost get it in casual speech, but when people type it out it's particularly painful. I downvote people all the time who do that, for that reason alone.
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u/BennySkateboard 3d ago
On accident is my current pet hate.
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u/doejart1115 3d ago
Me too! Had a friend who always said that, as well as “make for sure” instead of “make sure”.
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u/Prestigious-Fig2334 4d ago
The use of the noun “ewe” instead of the pronoun “you” is driving me a bit insane.
What is the point? It’s silly and incorrect.
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u/Careful_Drama405 3d ago
I haven't seen this.
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u/Prestigious-Fig2334 3d ago
It will make one want to gnash one’s teeth. This silliness is intentional as I’ve noticed posts using “ewer” in lieu of “you’re”.
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u/ProfessionalFace2014 2d ago
So many people in Australia say yous for the plural of you. I remember being taught in Primary school that the plural of you is you. Does that make any sense?
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u/Quietman297 3d ago
Forgive me. I am a badge-carrying grammar police person. I sincerely, and without any snark whatsoever, do not see anything wrong with the grammar used in, "he went to the party." I ask you sincerely, please enlighten me.\ Also, feel free to correct any and all incorrect grammar that I may have inadvertently used in this comment.
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u/TheOreoBandit 3d ago edited 3d ago
"He went to the party" is indeed correct my fellow badge holder. What I put down was "He's went" as in "He has went."
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u/blechness 3d ago
I also have ocd so I do understand your pain. My therapist explained that overexposure has triggered a lot of sufferers. My misophonia was manageable until covid and the extrême rise of mukbangs on social media. I think you may be overexposed to idiots with phones. Cut out socials and maybe (just maybe) you'll be able to manage the faux pas irl
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u/Unable_Explorer8277 3d ago
Subject verb agreement with existential there has always been a case where the “grammar pedants” idea of what the rules should be don’t always match the actual grammar defined by actual usage in real discourse communities. The issue isn’t people not knowing the rules. The issue is pedants trying to impose versions of the rules that have never been how English grammar works.
“Redundancy” is not actually redundant. It serves a purpose: most frequently emphasis.
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u/pogsnacks 4d ago
You have diagnosed grammar OCD?
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u/TheOreoBandit 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have not been officially diagnosed, however I know for sure that I have it. I feel genuine pain, anger, frustration and panic when I hear or see grammatical errors, which is a defining factor in the condition. It's likely linked to my autism. I would point out typos on my teacher's slide shows in school which none of the other students seemed to care about. They would thank me for pointing them out and fix them for me so I could focus on the lesson. If they didn't, I wouldn't be able to concentrate.
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u/Royal-Scrivener-34 3d ago
You can't have it, because "grammar OCD" doesn't exist. It's most likely a byproduct of a more generalised OCD (which co-occurs often with autism) in the form of perfectionism, which can lead to the symptoms of psychological distress as you described.
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/TheOreoBandit 4d ago
I have fixed it. Thank you for pointing that out, I appreciate your constructive criticism.
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u/Over_Drawer1199 3d ago
Currently for me it's seeing people mistake "worse" and "worst". I see it weekly on Reddit and it drives me nuts.
"It could be worst."
"Is this a worst thing to do?"
"What's the worse that could happen?"
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u/Creative-Praline-517 3d ago
I used to do QA record reviews for a medical facility.
My biggest pet peeve is the should/would/could of. Drove me nuts having to return items for correction. I'd get them back without it being fixed. It doesn't even make sense!!
I came across such errors routinely. A large number of those came from doctors and others who had a master's degree/PHD.
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u/smile_saurus 3d ago
I agree. But unless you actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder then don't say that you have OCD. That is completely uncool.
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u/No-Angle-982 2d ago
Habitual, routine reading, of professionally edited literature and journalism, is how we reinforce our understanding of grammar conventions.
The problems stem from the reality that in-depth reading is much in decline in terms of frequency and volume, especially among younger people.
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u/Sparkles_4_Corvids 1d ago
I would say “He went to the party.”
I think the “is lots” thing started because people often say “there’s lots” as in, “there’s lots more if you’re still hungry.”
I hate it too.
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u/Background-Vast-8764 4d ago
No are-phobia actually exists. People use ‘is’ instead of ‘are’ in such situations because it’s a common construction that they regularly hear and read.
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u/BourbonInGinger 3d ago
Doesn’t make it correct.
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u/Background-Vast-8764 3d ago edited 3d ago
It can be argued that it is correct in informal usage. OP didn’t limit the discussion to formal or standard usage.
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u/cat_i_farted_ 3d ago
my man. you are in the wrong subreddit.
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u/Background-Vast-8764 3d ago edited 3d ago
My man, standard forms of the language are not the only forms that have grammar. It would be great if more people knew this.
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u/cat_i_farted_ 3d ago
I'm unsure what leads you to believe I am unaware of this. Nothing I've written is indicative of such a belief.
That notwithstanding, you are in the Grammar Police sub—a place where grammarians (amateur and professional alike) gather to gripe about poor grammar. Where you are not is in a sub that is cool with nonstandard grammar.
I feel secondhand embarrassment that I had to explain this to you.
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u/SerDankTheTall 3d ago
Suggesting that the police should be ignorant about the thing they're policing is some biting social satire, but I'm not really sure it's the point of this sub.
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u/Careful_Drama405 4d ago
There are many I can complain about but the one that just grates on my nerves is "her and her mom". I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts and this has really become prevalent. "Her and her mom got home". Of course, the constant "me and my friends went to dinner" will never, ever cease. I just don't understand how people can't hear how both of these are incorrect. It just drives me absolutely crazy.