pet peeves
I know this may seem silly, and I try not to react strongly, but I have pet peeves about spelling/punctuation/grammar. I know many people do, and I wish more people would just pay attention.
Here in LJ, my personal interwebz journal, I have odd vernacular I use and I make spelling choices that seem strange, but are there by my intention. I can defend a particular spelling choice with that information, and a person can take it or leave it. I know I periodically have typos (which sometimes I do go back and edit when I notice; typically it's a word forgotten here or there) but usually I don't have mistakes with my spelling (if spell check doesn't pick it up, I look it up if I don't know for sure how to spell it), my grammar, or my punctuation (and I am a fan of unique but correct punctuation!).
Lately, I have been irritated by the misuse of apostrophes. It's something we all learned (or should be learning) in elementary school and I am not sure how so many professional websites, signs, and emails are being released without being reviewed (or potentially are being reviewed by idiots). Maybe they are not idiots, but their writing and gross misuse of such a basic piece of punctuation sure makes me think they are idiots. I just don't understand how something that should be read as a plural or a verb is now a possessive because an unnecessary apostrophe was added, or has been used in the wrong place; honestly, it's distracting and makes me think the writers are not smart. Apostrophes are so easy.
I can understand an honest mistake regarding the misuse of the semicolon or parenthesis, but in that case, just don't use them! But apostrophes we have to use all the freakin' time and I am not sure how or when this trend of terribleness began, but it has to stop. There are resources for proper punctuation, and someone should proofread your work before you post it for the world to see.
Here in LJ, my personal interwebz journal, I have odd vernacular I use and I make spelling choices that seem strange, but are there by my intention. I can defend a particular spelling choice with that information, and a person can take it or leave it. I know I periodically have typos (which sometimes I do go back and edit when I notice; typically it's a word forgotten here or there) but usually I don't have mistakes with my spelling (if spell check doesn't pick it up, I look it up if I don't know for sure how to spell it), my grammar, or my punctuation (and I am a fan of unique but correct punctuation!).
Lately, I have been irritated by the misuse of apostrophes. It's something we all learned (or should be learning) in elementary school and I am not sure how so many professional websites, signs, and emails are being released without being reviewed (or potentially are being reviewed by idiots). Maybe they are not idiots, but their writing and gross misuse of such a basic piece of punctuation sure makes me think they are idiots. I just don't understand how something that should be read as a plural or a verb is now a possessive because an unnecessary apostrophe was added, or has been used in the wrong place; honestly, it's distracting and makes me think the writers are not smart. Apostrophes are so easy.
I can understand an honest mistake regarding the misuse of the semicolon or parenthesis, but in that case, just don't use them! But apostrophes we have to use all the freakin' time and I am not sure how or when this trend of terribleness began, but it has to stop. There are resources for proper punctuation, and someone should proofread your work before you post it for the world to see.