Peter in Toronto asks…
Mr. Roth, I know that you are a big fan of grammar. So I’ll ask you a grammar-based question. What are seven common grammar/speaking errors that most annoy you? They do not have to be the most common seven…just seven.
Answer:
1. Incorrectly using the word “like”: “Like” may be the most common English solecism. It is used in the middle of sentences without reason: “I am going to watch a show that is like called Living in Your Car like tonight.” And, the word is employed as a dialogue-based verb. “He was like ‘let’s go to the movies tonight.’ I was like, ‘no.’” This error makes one sound quite unintelligent.
2. Basic subject-verb agreement mistakes: “What time is grandma and grandpa coming home?”
3. Misuse of the word “random”: Something that is random lacks a clear order or purpose. As such, a remark cannot be “random.” It may be irrelevant to a conversation, but certainly not “random.”
4. Quote vs. Quotation-“Quote” is a verb: “I will quote Sylvia Plath.” Quotation is a noun: “This quotation exemplifies the stupidity of Fox News.”
5. Confusing validity with soundness: Validity refers to logical form, not truth. In short, if the conclusion of a given argument follows it premises, no matter how ridiculous it is, the statement must be true. For example: “All baseball players live in Toronto. Jose is a baseball player. Therefore, Jose lives in Toronto.” Of course, this syllogism is untrue, but it is valid. Because the conclusion is false, it is unsound, for soundness is a measure of truth.
6. Passive voice: One who uses passive voice does not subscribe to the rule of omitting needless words. For example, “Aaron Hill caught the ball” is more effective than saying, “The ball was caught by Aaron Hill.”
7. Often times: What does “times” contribute to a sentence?
