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21 Grammatical Mistakes That People Absolutely HATE (And You’re Probably Guilty Of Making From Time To Time)

Casey Rackham
5 min read

Recently, Reddit user EarSure6667 asked, "What's a grammatical mistake that many people make and you hate?"

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FOX / Via giphy.com

Here are some of the top-voted responses:

1."Every time I see 'loose' in place of 'lose,' I lose a bit of respect."

Disturbed_Waters21

"Native English speakers being unable to distinguish between loose and lose is MADDENING."

xHarleyQuinn-

Person with creative hairstyle speaks animatedly; caption reads, "Grammar is hard."
Paramount / Via giphy.com

2."When someone says 'should of' instead of 'should have.'"

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NikSturm

"Somebody argued that it's correct in the north of England. As somebody who is from the north of England I just want to say that no it fucking isn't"

Killboypowerhed

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3."Then vs than... My LOCAL NEWS OUTLET SUCKS AT GRAMMAR."

joliesmomma

"Me vs I bothers me more: 'He came to dinner with Scott and I.'"

do_me_stabler_3

Two people dressed as classic superheroes, Batman and Robin, stand side by side. Batman wears a cape and cowl; Robin has a short cape and mask
ABC / Via giphy.com

4."Unless it's being used as an adjective, 'every day' needs a space."

nilperos

"There are so many of these! Login is a noun. If you're telling someone to log in, that's two words. Same with signup or signout."

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BangBangMeatMachine

5."Most people try to sound intelligent by using 'I' instead of 'me' in every instance, instead of where it actually makes sense, so they overcorrect. It drives me crazy! A teacher taught us to cross out part of the sentence and read it with I vs me. For instance: When Fred and me get married, we'll have a big wedding. Cross out 'Fred and' and read it as 'When me get married.' Since that doesn't make sense, it would be 'When Fred and I get married'... A little tip that's always worked for me."

amyjrockstar

A woman with voluminous hair talks to a man on a couch. Text reads, "I believe it was I!"
Sony / Via giphy.com

6."I've been seeing 'apart' instead of 'a part' a lot lately. This one is especially irritating because they have opposite meanings. 'A part of' vs 'apart from.' 'A part' = these things go together. We consider her a part of our family. 'Apart' = these things do not go together. Apart from her husband, we all get along."

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seguefarer

7."Wary vs Weary. Chances are good that you mean the former and not the latter."

writehandedTom

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Moira Rose seated, looking thoughtful, saying "What's the word I'm trying to think of?" in a GIF from Schitt's Creek
CBC / Via giphy.com

8."'For all intensive purposes' instead of 'for all intents and purposes.'"

Prestigious_Rain_842

9."'I was balling my eyes out!' This simultaneously annoys me and makes me laugh when I imagine it."

SuLiaodai

Animated character at podium saying, "AND LET THE SPELLING BEGIN," eagerly starting a spelling event
Nickelodeon / Via giphy.com

10."Should/would/could OF. HAVE! It's have. Not of."

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caught_in_bloom

11."Using an apostrophe for plurals (taco's, orange's, apple's) is a huge grammar pet peeve."

Ryan_TX_85

"The most egregious part is that most people who do this seem to only do it about half the time, so they’re not even consistent with their misuse. It makes me wonder what internal ruleset they’re following to decide when an apostrophe means plural or not."

StellateMystery

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A group of four people having a conversation outside; text reads "I don't think that there are enough apostrophes."
CBC / Via giphy.com

12."When people don’t know the difference between lie and lay. You are lying down. You are laying the baby down for a nap."

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BotanicalGarden56

13."Calling dice 'dices' and a single die 'a dice.'"

Due_Jellyfish9237

A man and woman sit on a couch talking humorously. The man gestures while speaking. Subtitles read: "Goose. Geese. Moose. Meese."
CMT / Via giphy.com

14."'I can’t bare it.' Whatever you’re thinking of baring, please don’t."

Arwenti

15."HOW DO PEOPLE STILL NOT KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THERE, THEIR, AND THEY’RE. IT'S INSANE."

NirvelliGras

Animated character wearing a pink bunny ear hat looks surprised with wide eyes and a slight frown
FOX / Via giphy.com

16."The misuse of reflexive pronouns. 'Contact John or myself.' Only YOU can do something to yourself-that’s how reflexive pronouns work!"

Traditional-Law-7372

17."'Your stupid.' As annoying as it is ironic."

countessofole

Related: 32 "Why Would You Put That In Writing?!?!?" Photos That Prove Some People Are The Worst

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NBC / Via giphy.com

18."Women is plural! Woman is singular!"

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PleasantTomato7128

19."Double comparatives: It’s more better."

InsideConcentrate887

"Yes, that's the mostest worstest."

fusedparticiple

Man with beard, wearing Viking-style outfit, says "Thor more better at that" to another person off-camera in a humorous setting
CBS / Via giphy.com

20."It's = 'it is' only. 'It's' is NOT possessive."

1893Chicago

21.And finally, this in-depth explanation: "'On accident' vs 'by accident.' And if anyone reading this doesn't understand why, it's just the wrong preposition. 'By accident' is short for 'by way of accident.' It's how/why you came to the situation. 'How did you get here?' 'By way of car.' 'Why is there a giant mess?' It happened by way of accident.'

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"'On accident' doesn't make any sense because 'on' as a preposition tends to mean a state of being. It's similar to 'on brand' or 'on my way.' 'On purpose' is the same thing. It's intended to describe your state of being, not how you arrived there. You could almost substitute it with the word 'with' and it would almost have the same meaning, but not quite — but it helps illustrate the point.

On top of that, 'on purpose' and 'by accident' aren't even direct opposites, in case you're thinking that they are and you should be able to swap prepositions! 'By design' is the direct opposite of 'by accident' and 'on purpose' doesn't have one, but 'by accident' is the closest thing, so we kind of use them as opposites."

Wishilikedhugs

Animated character in winter attire shoveling snowy driveway with text: "Car is the subject, but I don't know the verb."
FOX / Via giphy.com

Are there any other grammar mistakes that annoy you? Let us know in the comments below!

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Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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