Grammar Freak

Ok, so I will admit this to you all freely. I am a grammar freak! There's no way around it. I try my best to use proper grammar whether I am on myspace, an IM program, typing e-mails or any other thing that grammar may be used for.

When I was in college, there was this sign posted all over our floor proclaiming that "There is no grammar" and of course, we would make fun of it and try to use improper grammar to say the same thing (aka- there's no grammars, there ARE no grammar, etc...) It was funny. But when I was in college, I also learned as much about the English language and proper use of it as I did when I was in high school (although my hat tips to Mr. Waddell- My public speaking teacher in high school my senior year- for beginning me along this journey).

So why do I share this? Simple- I find myself frequenting forums through myspace and other venues. I talk to people online. And while I have grown so much in my grammar freak ways (I used to send spelling mistakes back to people I talked to on IM... *shudder*), I still am very bothered by improper use of our language. And Rachel can attest to that, I will find grammar mistakes wherever they may be and mention them.

With that said, I have prepared a simple grammar lesson that everyone should use, and is not complicated. It should have been taught to you in first or second grade, but here we are.

Apostrophes have a purpose and should be used! And used correctly! the word "im" means nothing, although I read it all over the place. Because it is two words (I + am), it should be I'm (although I'm very tolerant of non-capitalized letters- using Microsoft Word has made me lazy and I find msyelf often not capitalizing). An apostrophe should be used ANY time you are combining two words (commonly called a contraction) and MOST times that you make something possessive (although there are a few cases that it is not needed).

There are three spellings for this word- they are "there", "their" and "they're". Following the last paragraph, the one that is underused the most is "They're"- any time you are trying to say "they are" you should use They're (easy way to remember- you drop the letter "a" of "are" and an aposotrophe replaces it. If you can say they are in place of the word, then the apostrophe is required). There is a word that refers to a place. Easily remember it by the fact that "here" also refers to a place and it is found in "there". And the last one is the possessive used for a group. Their. It is their ball.

Another lesson. The word its. This is a little tougher, but more commonly misused. It's because it violates the possessive rule of apostrophes. But you should follow the contraction rule first, anyway. The apostrophe belongs ONLY if you're taking the words "it + is" and combining them. Plain and simple.

There are three spellings for to. "Two", "too" and "to". Easy- "two" is ALWAYS the number. "Too" should only be used as an "also" kind of word. It is in addition (easy to remember- there's an "addition"al "o"). And the last "to" is any other case.

These are the things that bother me the most. Try to use them correctly.

But also, if you would like to try and use the language correctly, here are a few other very common mistakes. The word "they" is ONLY used to refer to multiple people. It annoys me endlessly when someone says "I just talked to them" and was referring to one person. The correct SINGULAR words to use are him, her, he, she, or one. "I just talked to him," or "he is going to help us," or "if someone does something wrong, he/she/one (take your pick) should be punished." it is not "if someone does something wrong, they should be punished." that is BAD- you are mixing singular from the word "someone" and plural from the word "they". It must be either both singular, or both plural.

Finally- an "s" does not belong at the end of all words. It belongs mostly at the end of plural words, or after the apostrophe of most possessive words. The word "anyway" requires NO "S"!!! Please, friends, family, make attempts to not add an extra, unnecessary "s."

Thank you.